READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


UC-NRLF 

*B    5 A3    7ME 


Report  on  a  Survey 


OF 


The  Municipal  Departments 


AND 


The  School  District 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,   1913 
AND   DURING    YEAR    1914 


22  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


cents  per  capita.  For  the  next  3x/2  months  the  present  service  requires 
$3,500  to  $4,000  at  the  very  least,  or  only  3  or  4  cents  per  capita. 

Public  health  is  purchasable.  Dr.  William  H.  Park,  Director  of  the 
Bureau  of  Laboratories  of  the  New  York  Health  Department,  says:  "Cities 
ranging  from  30,000  to  50,000  in  population  should  have  a  minimum  per 
capita  cost  of  50  cents.  Cities  ranging  from  50,000  to  100,000  should  have 
a  minimum  per  capita  cost  of  75  cents;  cities  from  100,000  to  300,000  should 
have  a  minimum  per  capita  cost  of  85  cents,  and  all  cities  over  300,000  should 
have  not  less  than  $1.00  per  capita."  New  York  City  spends  65  cents  per 
capita  for  health  service,  and  other  progressive  American  cities  spend  30 
cents  to  60  cents.  The  last  report  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  the  Census 
shows  that  Reading  spent  only  8  cents  per  capita  for  health  conservation. 

There  were  only  three  cities  in  the  United  States  in  Reading's  class 
spending  less  for  health  conservation.  These  cities  were  Wilkesbarre,  Pa., 
Allentown,  Pav  and  Pawtucket.  R.  I.  That  Reading  has  increased  her  per 
capita  cost  so  little  in  the  last  few  years  does  not  indicate  that  Reading  has 
.awakened  to  her  health  problem. 

BUDGET  ESTIMATES  UNSUPPORTED. 

The  estimates  prepared  by  the  Board  of  Health  for  submission  to  Coun- 
cils, on  which  appropriations  for  the  current  year  were  made,  were  set  up 
as  follows: 

For  abating  nuisances $21,600 

For  salary  of  contagious  disease  nurse 900 

Miscellaneous    (supplies,   additional  salaries,   etc.)  5,000 

Salary    of    child    welfare    nurse 600 

Cost  of  site  of  municipal  hospital 10.000 

Salary   and   expenses    for   an   assistant   meat    and 

milk  inspector    1,500 

Emergency  fund    5,.ooo  • 

$44,600 

Upon  what  basis  these  estimates  were  made  is  a  matter  of  conjecture,  as 
no  supporting  facts  were  submitted.  The  action  of  Councils  in  granting  less 
than  one-fourth  of  the  estimate  was  entirely  justifiable.  So  long  as  budget 
estimates  are  prepared  in  this  way,  health  department  officials  have  no  right 
to  expect  an  increase  in  funds.  To  allow  the  department  $21,600  for  the 
abatement  of  nuisances  arising  from  unsanitary  private  alleys,  which  owners 
of  the  abutting  property  should  be  compelled  to  keep  clean,  would  have  been 
criminal.  To  have  allowed  $5,000  "for  miscellaneous  purposes"  in  the  pur- 
chase of  supplies  and  for  additional  salaries  without  obtaining  a  detailed 
statement  of  the  need  and  of  the  specific  items  included  in  -each  request, 
would  have  been  a  misuse  of  public  money. 

PAVING,  REPAIRING  AND  CLEANING  ALLEYS. 

The  funds  available  for  paving  and  cleaning  alleys  are  used  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  Board.  The  cost  is  divided  among  owners  of  property  abutting 
on  the  alley,  according  to  the  number  of  square  yards  owned  by  each.  The 
total  cost  includes  the  cost  of  construction  and  the  cost  of  inspection  by  the 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  23 


Health   Commissioner.     When  the  work  is   completed,   each  property  owner 
receives    a    bill    for    the    amount    of    his    indebtedness,    payable    to    the    City 

Treasurer. 


REVENUE 


ACCOUNTING  METHODS. 


The  Board  of  Health  does  not  keep  any  of  the  funds  it  receives.  All 
moneys  received  for  permits,  licenses,  or  other  fees  are  turned  over  to  the 
City  Treasurer  once  a  month.  The  stubs  of  permits  and  licenses,  upon 
which  the  amounts  received  by  the  Board  are  entered,  are  audited  by  the 
Comptroller  and  checked  against  the  amount  received  by  the  City  Treasurer 
from  the  Board.  In  the  case  of  permits  to  sell  meat  and  milk,  the  permit 
is  issued  only  when  the  Treasurers  receipt  for  the  fee  is  presented  to  the 
Meat  and  Milk  Inspector.  No  money  passes  through  the  hands  of  this 
official. 

,FOOD  INSPECTION  SELF-SUPPORTING. 

Licenses  for  the  sale  of  meat  and  milk  cost  $10.00  a  year.  As  there  are 
approximately  550  dealers  in  meat  and  milk,  the  revenue  from  this  source 
alone  is  over  $5,000  a  year.  This,,  as  has  been  stated,  is  paid  into  the  city 
treasury.  In  the  fiscal  year  1911-1912,  the  Board  received  $1,284.29  for  other 
fees,  permits,  licenses  and  fines,  all  of  which  was  also  turned  over  to  the  City 
Treasurer.  The  City  Treasurer  thus  receives  approximately  $7,000  per 
annum  from  the  Health  Department  which  is  about  equal  to  the  amount  now 
spent  for  salaries  of  all  health  officials.  The  sum  received  from  meat  and 
milk  permits  is  alone  equal  to  the  entire  cost  of  maintaining  meat  and  milk 
inspections,  even  with  the  increased  staff  recommended. 


PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES 

LOOSE  METHODS  COSTLY. 

No  inventory  of  supplies  is  kept,  and  no  records  are  available  to  show 
what  the  department  is  spending  for  supplies  or  how  its  supplies  are  being 
used.  Looseness  in  handling  supplies  naturally  results  in  their  being  lost  or 
misused,  which  means  increased  expenses.  The  Board  of  Health  should  be 
required  to  furnish  complete  and  detailed  records  of  all  supplies  purchased,, 
to  whom  delivered,  how  and  when  used  and  all  other  data  necessary  in 
checking  this  important  item.  Employees  now  purchase  supplies  as  needed 
and  have  them  charged  to  the  Board.  Except  for  purchases  involving  large 
sums,  little  restriction  is  placed  upon  the  action  of  employees  in  this  respect. 
The  fact  that  the  Board,  which  is  the  sole  authority,  meets  but  once  a  week, 
makes  it  inconvenient,  or  impossible,  for  employees  to  obtain  orders  for 
supplies  needed  in  emergencies.  No  purchases  should  be  made  without  proper 
authority  or  without  proper  supervision  and  control  of  the  methods  of  pur- 
chasing and  the  quality  of  articles  purchased. 


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GIFT   OF 


READING,     PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 


OF 


The  Municipal  Departments 


AND 


The  School  District 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by 

The  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,     1913 
AND    DURING    YEAR    1914 


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FOREWORD 


The  Chamber  of  Commerce,  through  its  Committee  on  Municipal  Re- 
search, presents  to  the  citizens  of  Reading  the  reports  of  the  New  York 
Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  on  the  surveys  made  of  city  and  school 
departments.  Early  in  its  deliberations  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Cham- 
ber was  impressed  with  the  importance  of  bringing  to  bear  the  great  power 
of  citizen  co-operation  with  city  government  in  the  establishment  of  higher 
efficiency   in   municipal   administration. 

Efforts  to  enlist  the  interest  of  the  individual  in  the  affairs  of  his  city, 
always  fruitful  for  good,  have  proven  especially  timely  in  our  city,  because 
of  the  situation  occasioned  by  the  passage  at  the  last  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  Clark  bill,  requiring  all  third-class  cities  in  the  State  to  assume 
the  commission  form  of  government. 

An  administrative  change  so  radical  brings  in  its  wake  many  new  prob- 
lems. Commission  government  without  sustained  effort  for  efficiency  in 
business  methods  has  not  proven  in  other  -cities  a  panacea  for  civic  ills. 
A  study  of  this  situation  must  necessarily  note  deficiencies,  approve  good 
features   and   offer  practical   recommendations   for  betterment. 

Hon.  Ira  W.  Stratton,  Mayor  of  Reading,  and  President  J.  Edward 
Wanner,  of  the  Reading  School  District,  having  granted  their  approval 
with  assurances  of  assistance,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  arranged  with 
the  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  for  a  detailed  survey  along 
the  lines  of  work  done  in  other  cities.  The  fact  that  the  very  considerable 
expense  involved  in  making  this  extensive  study  has  been  borne  in  its 
entirety  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  serves  as  an  evidence  of  the  willing- 
ness of  this  association  of  our  citizens  to  put  forth  its  best  efforts  for 
Reading  and  all  her  people. 

In  the  work  of  city  surveys  the  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Re- 
search stands  pre-eminent  through  the  acknowledged  reputation  of  its  ex- 
perts and  the  impressive  record  of  effective  work  done  for  other  cities. 
Within  the  past  decade  New  York,  Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  Pittsburgh. 
Cincinnati,  St.  Paul,  Milwaukee,  Portland,  Ore.,  and  many  similar  municipali- 
ties have  been  carefully  studied  by  this  organization  and  the  modern  methods 
recommended  and  adopted  have  invariably  led  to  better  city  government 
and  saving  in  city  revenue  as  well  as  greater  efficiency  in  the  administration 
of  nublic  business. 


415635 


That  Reading,  the  largest  third-class  city  in  Pennsylvania,  should  be 
the  first  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  an  expert  survey,  will  be  a  source  of  satis- 
faction to  its  citizens.  Through  the  work  itself  and  the  public  interest 
aroused,  should  be  gained  a  broader  outlook  and  a  clearer  vision  of  the 
city's  needs,  present  and  future.  In  addition,  a  ground  work  is  laid  for  the 
future  activities  of  the  Chamber's  Committees. 

The  New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  bears  the  responsibility 
for  the  constructive  suggestions  to  be  found  in  the  reports.  The  work 
of  the  Committee  on  Municipal  Research  has  been  to  render  assistance 
to  the  experts  making  the  surveys  and  to  supervise  the  publicity  and  print- 
ing of  the  reports. 


THE  COMMITTEE  ON  MUNICIPAL  RESEARCH 

For  the  Frederick   Willson,    Chairman. 

Board   of   Directors      |  H.  L.   Boas  John  Frame 

Daniel   F.    Printz,    Pres.  ;  W.   B.   Kunhardt  Chas.    Muhlenberg 

Sherrard   Ewing,   Sec.       |  William   Rick  L.  E.  Thomas 

January,  1914.  H.  W.  Yocum 


NOTICE  TO  MEMBERS  OF  THE 
CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


The  successive  reports  on  the  surveys  of  the  municipal  departments  and 
the  school  district,  prepared  for  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  by  the  New 
York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research,  are  as  follows: 

Department    of    Health  Department    of   Parks 

Department  of  Markets  Department    of    Public    Works 

Public   Library  Department  of  Finances 

Department    of    Water  Department  of   Fire 

Department   of   Police  Reading  School   District 

These  reports  are  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  the  first  being  that  on  the 
Department  of  Health,  which  is  issued  herewith.  Members  are  requested 
to  preserve  the  pamphlets  as  they  are  received  in  order  that  each  member 
may  have  a  complete  file  of  the  reports.  A  nominal  charge  will  be  made 
for  additional  copies.  A  limited  number  of  bound  volumes  containing  all 
reports  will  be  available  at  cost. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  ONE 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Health 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 

10  CENTS 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Summary  of  Criticisms  and  Constructive   Suggestions,  all  of  which   may 

be  immediately  adopted  by  Council   9-15 

Administration   16 

Personnel   17 

Health  Appropriations   21 

Revenue    23 

Purchase  and  Provision  of  Supplies 23 

Provision    of   Buildings    24 

Prevention  of  Transmissible  Diseases   24 

Protection  of  the  Health  of  Children 28 

Medical  Inspection  of  School  Children   31 

Protection  of  Food  Supply    34 

Industrial  Diseases  and  the  Examination  of  Employees 37 

Recording  of  Vital  Statistics 37 

Care  of  the  Sick  and  Injured  in  Hospitals   39 

Laboratory   Research    39 

Sanitation    40 

Publicity 45 


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HEALTH   DEPARTMENT— SLMMaRit. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT 


SUMMARY    OF    CRITICISMS    AND    CONSTRUCTIVE 

SUGGESTIONS,  ALL  OF  WHICH  MAYBE 

IMMEDIATELY  ADOPTED  BY  COUNCIL 

ADMINISTRATION  AND  ORGANIZATION. 

The  present  Board  of  Health  lacks  an  aggressive  and  definite  program 
for  health  protection  and  education  and  is  not  adapted  to  the  proper  per- 
formance of  the  varied  functions  which  modern  health  service  demands. 
The  Board  of  Health  should  be  abolished  and  its  powers  and  duties  vested 
in  the    Council,   which   should   begin   immediately   to   reorganize   the   service. 

SUPERVISION. 

The  health  service  in  Reading  lacks  a  supervising  head  who  can  direct 
intelligently  the  efforts  of  employees.  Council  should  select  a  thoroughly 
trained  physician  or  sanitarian,  and  showld  require  full  time  service  with  full 
time  pay. 

RECORD  KEEPING. 

The  present  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Health  is  not  trained  to  use  the 
improved  record  keeping  methods  recommended.  A  clerk  familiar  with 
stenography  and  typewriting  and  with  some  experience  in  record  keeping 
and  filing  should  be  employed. 

PERSONNEL. 

The  present  health  staff  is  not  organized  or  qualified  to  cope  with  health 
problems.  In  addition  to  the  full  time  health  officer  and  clerk  previously 
recommended,  there  should  be  a  full  time  physician,  three  food  inspectors, 
two  child  welfare  nurses,  two  plumbing  inspectors,  two  sanitary  inspectors 
and  a  smoke  inspector  for  immediate  service. 

PROMOTIONS  AND  SALARY  INCREASES. 

The  administrative  body  has  no  records  upon  which  it  may  determine 
the  need  for  salary  increases  or  promotions.  No  promotions  or  increases 
of  salary  should  be  granted  without  such  records. 

HEALTH  APPROPRIATIONS. 

The  present  appropriations  for  health  service  are  too  small.  Reading's 
per  capita  cost  for  health  service  is  only  13  cents.  Public  health  can  be 
purchased,  but  not  for  13  cents  per  capita. 


•  •  ~ »   • 

•  •  •  •  • 

•  •      •      - 


io      «  « • .;  ••:hme#autb  Department— summary. 

^ht* ' ;  ■*  -  *-*   »**"■   *  •  

Budget  estimates  are  not  properly  supported  or  segregated.  Estimates 
furnished  by  the  health  officials  should  be  accompanied  by  all  the  informa- 
tion necessary  to  show  the  need  for  funds  requested.  All  items  of  requests 
should  be  shown  in  detail. 

PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES. 

No  inventory  of  supplies  is  kept,  although  this  is  necessary  for  accurately 
determining"  future  needs  and  requests. 

The  present  loose  methods  of  purchasing  and  inspecting  supplies  should 
be  abandoned.  No  supplies  should  be  purchased  without  proper  written 
authority,  and  no  supplies  not  conforming  to  standards  or  specifications 
should  be  received. 

PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

The  health  office  is  entirely  inadequate  in  space  and  arrangement.  New 
offices  should  be  provided,,  even  if  it  is  necessary  to  rent  private  rooms. 

The  lack  of  office  and  laboratory  facilities  for  the  meat  and  milk  inspector 
greatly  reduces  the  efficiency  of  this  division  of  service.  Larger  quarters 
and  improved  facilities  are  needed  at  once. 

PUBLICITY. 

The  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Health  lacks  information  of  interest 
or  value  to  citizens,  and  certain  statistical  information  contained  in  it  is 
inaccurate.  More  information  should  be  furnished  through  improved  tabu- 
lations   and   charts. 

Newspaper  publicity  of  facts  about  health  is  limited  and  ineffective. 
The  health  officer  should  prepare  interesting  and  timely  articles  on  these 
topics  to  increase  citizen  interest  and  co-operation. 

No  systematic  attempt  has  been  made  to  popularize  knowledge  of  subjects 
relating  to  health  by  bulletins,  pamphlets,  lectures,  exhibits,  etc.  An  educa- 
tional health  program  along  these  lines  should  be  carried  out  under  the  new 
administration. 

PREVENTION  OF  TRANSMISSIBLE  DISEASES. 

The  methods  in  use  in  Reading  for  the  control  of  transmissible  diseases 
are  based  upon  a  State  act  forty  years  behind  the  times.  A  new  program 
based  upon  present  needs  and  present   resources  is  needed. 

There  is  no  medical  officer  to  examine  persons  suspected  of  having 
transmissible  diseases  and  to  supervise  and  regulate  quarantine.  A  physician 
should  be  appointed  for  this  post  and  full  time  service  should  be  required. 

The  law  requiring  that  certain  communicable  diseases  shall  be  reported 
to  the  Board  of  Health  in  writing  within  six  hours  after  such  cases  are 
known  of,  is  not  observed.  Prompt  prosecution  of  violations  of  the  law  is 
the    only   remedy. 

No  attempt  is  made  to  secure  complete  registration  of  all  cases  of  tuber- 
culosis. Tuberculosis  registration,  which  is  left  to  the  State  dispensary  in 
this  district,  should  also  be  performed  by  the  bureau  of  health. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY 


No  continued  effort  has  been  made  by  the  Board  of  Health  to  supply 
typhoid  vaccine,  smallpox  vaccine,  diphtheria  antitoxin  or  anti-meningitis 
serum  to  physicians  free  of  charge.  This  service  is  a  valuable  aid  in  improv- 
ing registration  of  these  diseases. 

All  records  of  communicable  diseases  are  unsatisfactory.  A  complete 
record  of  each  case  from  report  to  termination  of  disease  by  disinfection  or 
otherwise  should  be  made  and  properly  hied  by  name  of  disease,  name  of 
patient,    or    street    address. 

Cases  of  communicable  diseases  reported  to  the  Board  are  rarely  inves- 
tigated. All  cases  of  communicable  diseases  not  under  private  care  should 
be  investigated  by  a  physician  or  nurse  of  the  health  bureau. 

Xo  pin  charts  or  maps  of  communicable  diseases  are  kept,  although 
those  are  valuable  aids  in  visualizing  the  problems  of  disease  prevention. 

The  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board,  in  accordance  with  the  State 
law,  require  placarding  for  malaria  and  typhoid  fever.  This  practice  is 
unnecessary. .and  steps  should  be  taken  to  amend  the  State  law. 

Quarantine  regulations  are  ineffective  because  intermediate  visits  to  quar- 
antine patients  are  not  made  by  health  officials.  Cases  not  under  private 
,care  should  be  visited  to  see  that  quarantine  is  observed. 

Quarantined  patients  are  released  without  examination  and,  in  the  case 
of  diphtheria,  without  a  negative  culture.  Examination  should  be  made  of 
all  patients  before  release  from  quarantine  unless  at  the  expiration  of  quar- 
antine the  attending  physician  gives  a  signed  statement  that  recovery  is 
complete.  Xo  diphtheria  patient  should  be  released  without  a  negative 
culture. 

Tt  is  a  useless  quarantine  regulation  which  excludes  a  child  from  school 
but  allows  him  to  play  with  other  children  on  the  street.  Children  should 
be  allowed  to  return  to  school  following  release  from  quarantine;  they 
should,  however,  be  kept  out  even  longer  if  the  medical  inspector  thinks 
they  are  still  likely  to  transmit  the  disease. 

The  disinfection  records  are  very  incomplete.  To  determine  the  value 
of  fumigation  and  disinfection  in  the  prevention  of  communicable  "diseases 
accurate  detailed  records  of  the  work  and  of  its  cost  should  be  kept. 

Fumigation  for  diphtheria  and  measles  is  continued  at  considerable 
expense  in  Reading,  although  other  cities,  notably  New  York  City  and 
Providence,  R.  I.,  have  found  fumigation  unnecessary  for  these  diseases. 
Reading  should  discontinue  unnecessary  fumigation  as  soon  as  amendment 
of  the  State  law  can  be  secured. 

Reading  has  no  facilities  for  the  disinfection  or  destruction  of  bedding, 
carpets,  hangings,  etc.,  which  have  been  dangerously  contaminated.  A  dis- 
infection station  and  facilities  for  transfer  of  infected  materials  should  be 
provided. 

PROTECTION  OF  THE  HEALTH   OF  CHTLDREX 

There  is  no  program  for  child  welfare  and  for  the  reduction  of  infant 
mortality.  Under  the  reorganized  health  service,  Reading's  infant  mortality 
rate  of  T33.4  per  t.ooo  births  should  be  reduced  at  least  twenty  per  cent,  in 
the   next   year. 

There    are    no    visiting    nurses    who    could    play    an    important    part    in    an 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


effective  child  welfare  campaign.  Two  child  welfare  nurses  should  be  pro- 
vided. 

Supervision  of  midwives  is  lacking.     It  should  be  provided  immediately. 

Outfits  for  the  prevention  of  opthalmia  neonatorum  (a  disease  causing 
blindness  in  the  newly-born)  are  not  supplied  to  physicians  and  midwives. 
Preventive  treatment  should  be  required  in  all  cases  and  the  necessary  out- 
fits  furnished. 

Infant  clinics  play  an  important  part  in  a  child  welfare  program.  They 
can  be  secured  in  Reading  by  the  co-operation  of  the  health  authorities  and 
physicians. 

Supervision  of  foundlings,  foundling  homes,  and  day  nurseries  has  never 
been  maintained.     Such  supervision  intimately  affects  the  health  of  children. 

Co-operation  between  the  bureau  of  health  and  the  existing  charitable 
organizations  has  not  been  developed  as  it  should  be.  All  institutions  of  the 
city  interested  in  the  protection  of  health  should  be  asked  to  co-operate  in 
securing  and   safeguarding   it. 

MEDICAL  INSPECTION  OF  SCHOOL  CHILDREN. 

The  reports  of  the  number  of  children  treated  or  under  treatment  are 
made  upon  insufficient  evidence.  Parents  should  be  required  to  submit 
written  evidence  from  a  physician  or  institution  that  the  child  has  been  treated 
or  is   under  treatment. 

The  records  of  treatment  for  hypertrophied  tonsils  and  adenoids  are 
unsatisfactory.  Out  of  5,890  cases  found  by  the  medical  examiners,  only 
129,  or  2  per  cent.,  were  reported  as  treated  in  the  last  school  }rear.  More 
vigorous  following  up  by  school  nurses  is  needed. 

A  clinic  for  the  operative  treatment  of  tonsils  and  adenoids  should  be 
provided  by  the  School  Board. 

Working  papers  are  issued  without  physical  examination  by  school  physi- 
cians. No  employment  certificate  should  be  issued  without  a  certificate  by 
the  medical  inspector  that  the  child  is  in  good  health. 

No  special  physical  examinations  are  provided  for  graduates  or  for 
others  leaving  school.     This  should  be  a  matter  of  routine  procedure. 

The  provision  of  sanitary  drinking  cups  or  fountains  is  inadequate.  The 
installation  of  sanitary  drinking  fountains  in  all  schools  should  be  begun 
immediately. 

The  dental  dispensary  now  under  the  direction  of  the  Reading  Dental 
Society  should  be  made  a  part  of  the  school  medical  service,  and  dentists 
should  be  employed  by  the  School  Board. 

Open  air  classes  for  anemic  and  tuberculous  children  are  not  provided, 
this  pressing  need  should  be  met  at  once. 


PROTECTION  OF  FOOD  SUPPLY. 

No  standards  or  grades  have  been  established  for  the  regulation  of  the 
milk  supply.  A  maximum  bacterial  count  should  be  fixed  for  each  grade 
and  milk  showing  a  higher  count  should  be  destroyed.  Dealers  should  be 
required  to  conform  to  the  standards  set  for  the  particular  grade  denoted 
by  the  label. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  13 


No  standards  of  sanitary  conditions  have  been  established  for  places 
where  milk  is  produced  or  handled.  Certain  standard  conditions  should  be 
fixed  for  dairies  according  to  the  grades  of  milk  produced. 

Meat  inspection  records  are  inadequate.  Each  abattoir  or  market  should 
be  scored  so  as  to  show  its  sanitary  conditions.  Records  of  condemnation 
should  contain  all  necessary  facts  as  to  reason  for  condemnation,  amount 
condemned   and   method   of  disposal. 

No  inspection  is  provided  for  foods  other  than  meat  and  milk.  Bakeries, 
confectionery  and  fruit  stores,  ice  cream  plants  and  soda  fountains  should  all 
be  under  constant  inspection  by  an  official  of  the  health  bureau.  A  special 
food  inspector  should  be  appointed  for  this  service. 

Reading's  market  system  of  five  markets  under  private  control  is  not 
properly  supervised.  A  market  system  owned  by  the  city  and  supervised  by 
the  food  inspectors  of  the  health  department  is  recommended. 

Supervision  of  small  country  slaughter  houses  is  extremely  difficult  and 
at  present  inadequate.     A  central  municipal  abattoir  is  needed. 

No  control  of  the  manufacture,  handling  or  sale  of  drugs  is  attempted 
by  the  Board  of  Health.  It  is  important  that  provision  be  made  for  carrying 
out  in  Reading  the  regulations  of  the  United  States  Pure  Food  and  Drug 
Act. 

INDUSTRIAL  DISEASES  AND  ENAMINATION  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

Reports  of  industrial  diseases,  such  as  lead  and  arsenic  poisoning,  phos- 
phorus poisoning,  and  other  diseases  due  to  inhalation  of  dust,  fumes,  etc., 
are  required  by  the  State  Health  Department.  For  the  proper  protection  of 
the  health  of  workmen  the  local  health  bureau  also  should  require  physicians 
to  report  such  diseases  to   it. 

Physical  examinations  for  workers  in  dangerous  trades  are  not  required. 
The  health  bureau  should  oblige  employers  in  these  trades  to  furnish  certi- 
ficates of  the  health  of  their  employees. 

Physical  examinations  of  individuals  engaged  in  the  handling  and  prepara- 
tion of  food-stuffs  are  not  required.  Bakers  and  confectioners  should  be 
compelled  to  show  evidence  of  freedom  from  communicable  disease  before 
being  allowed  to  practice  their  trades. 

City  employees  are  not  required  to  furnish  any  evidence  of  physical 
ability  to  perform  their  tasks.  As  health  is  a  pre-requisite  to  efficiency, 
evidence  of  it  should  be  required  of  all  city  employees. 

RECORDING  OF  VITAL  STATISTICS. 

Births  are  not  reported  within  the  ten  day  limit,  as  required  by  law. 
Prosecution  of  violators   of  the  law  will   remedy  this. 

Birth  returns  are  not  checked  by  baptismal  records.  This  should  be  done 
to  ensure  complete  reporting  and  to  protect  the  individual  against  future 
inconvenience  or  loss  of  citizenship. 

Death  returns  are  not  made  out  according  to  the  international  list  of 
the  causes  of  death.  This  is  a  necessity  for  the  proper  recording  of  vital 
statistics. 

Deaths  from  diarrhneal  diseases  are  not  tabulated.     This  should  be  done     . 
as  a  basis  for  work  in  the  reduction  of  infant  mortality. 


H  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

Death  rates  are  incorrectly  calculated.  The  procedure  of  the  United 
States  Bureau  of  Census  should  be  followed  in  all  determinations  and  tabu- 
lations. 

Death  returns  are  not  checked  by  cemetery  records  of  burial.  For  insur- 
ing completeness  of  death  records  this  is  a  necessity. 

Vital  statistics  are  not  properly  studied  and  tabulated  so  as  to  furnish 
a  basis  for  work  for  the  reduction  of  the  death  rate. 

CARE  OF  THE  SICK  AND  INJURED  IN  HOSPITALS. 

Reading  greatly  needs  a  city  hospital  where  contagious'  and  venereal 
diseases  may  be  cared  for  and  placed  under  proper  quarantine  regulations. 

The  building  at  present  used  for  the  isolation  of  smallpox  cases  is  a 
relic  of  the  past.     Other  facilities  should  be  substituted  for  it  at  once. 

LABORATORY   RESEARCH. 

The  control  of  communicable  diseases  and  the  protection  of  the  food 
supply  is  greatly  hampered  by  the  lack  of  proper  laboratory  facilities.  This 
pressing  need  should  receive  immediate  attention. 

The  department  has  no  bacteriologist  and  chemist,  although  the  meat 
and  milk  inspector  makes  milk  and  meat  bacteriological  and  chemical  exam- 
inations. With  increased  facilities  for  laboratory  work,,  a  bacteriologist  and 
chemist   will  be  needed. 

Private  water  supplies  are  not  analyzed  by  the  Board  of  Health.  As  a 
part  of  the  campaign  to  reduce  the  amount  of  typhoid  fever,  this  is  an  im- 
portant service,  which  the  health  bureau  should  supply. 

The  city  needs  a  municipal  laboratory  in  which  all  the  laboratory  work 
required  for  the  different  branches  of  the  bureau's  service  could  be  combined. 
It  could  make  all  analysis  necessary  in  controlling  communicable  diseases, 
supervising  the  water  supply  and  regulating  the  disposal  of  sewage.  It 
should  be  required  also  to  test  and  approve  all  supplies  purchased  by  the  city. 

SANITATION. 

There  is  no  sanitary  code  embodying  all  the  laws,  rules  and  regulations 
affecting  public  health.  All  health  laws  should  be  revised  and  codified  for 
the  guidance  of  Council  and  for  the  instruction  and  information  of  officials 
and  citizens. 

Sanitary  supervision  is  limited  principally  to  the  investigation  of  com- 
plaints. The  bureau  of  health  should  take  the  initiative  and  begin  more 
extensive   and  definite   work   for   general   sanitary  improvement. 

Two  sanitary  inspectors  should  be  provided  to  supply  the  service  now 
ineffectively  performed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Health  and  the  assistant 
commissioner. 

Complaints  are  not  properly  recorded  and  filed,  and  the  records  of  action 
on  complaints  are  incomplete.  A  complaint  register  should  be  kept  showing 
all  facts  needed  for  the  control  of  nuisances. 

Anonymous  complaints  are  not  investigated.  All  complaints,  whether 
anonymous  or  signed,  should  be  investigated  and  reported  upon  by  sanitary 
officers. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY 


Privies  and  cesspools  on  premises  where  sewers  are  accessible  are  con- 
tinued in  violation  of  the  law.  An  aggressive  campaign  to  end  this  nuisance 
should  be  begun. 

Protection  against  dangerous  nuisances  is  not  provided.  Promiscuous 
spitting,  common  drinking  cups  and  common  towels  should  be  prohibited 
by   ordinance.  ' 

Unsanitary  conditions  in  houses,  barber  shops,  factories,,  moving  picture 
shows,  etc.,  are  not  investigated.  Provision  should  be  made  for  this  branch 
of  sanitary   supervision. 

The  smoke  nuisance  is  not  controlled.  The  law  prohibiting  smoke 
nuisance  should  be  enforced.  A  smoke  inspector  should  be  appointed  to 
collect  evidence  showing  the   existence  of  the  nuisance. 

"Clean-up"  days  have  been  inaugurated  by  the  Mayor  and  should 
be  continued  by  the  bureau  of  health.  The  bureau  should  ask  for  the 
co-operation  of  all  city  departments  and  civic  organizations  in  observing  it. 

The  bureau  of  health,  with  the  co-operation  of  all  city  departments,  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  other  civic  and  social  organizations,  should  make 
a  complete  field  survey  of  the  entire  city.  Such  a  survey  should  cover  gen- 
eral sanitary  conditions,,  food  manufacture  and  sale,  housing,  hospital  and 
out-patient  service,,  ambulance  service,  poor  relief,  charities'  organization 
work  and  all  other  businesses  or  institutions  directly  or  indirectly  affecting 
the  public  health. 

The  present  bathing  facilities  along  the  river  front  are  to  be  commended: 
their  extension  should  be  encouraged.  They  should  be  rendered  available 
for  both   sexes. 


16  HEALTH    DEPARTMENT. 


HEALTH   DEPARTMENT 


CRITICISMS   AND   CONSTRUCTIVE   SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ADMINISTRATION,  PERSONNEL,  APPRO- 
PRIATIONS, REVENUE  AND  GENERAL 
HEALTH  PROGRAM. 


ADMINISTRATION 

REORGANIZATION   NEEDED. 

The  authority  under  which  the  present  Board  now  operates  is  a  special 
State  act  of  1873,  providing  for  the  establishment  of  a  Board  of  Health  in 
Reading.  This  act  provided  for  a  Board  to  consist  of  seven  members.  Five 
of  them  were  selected  by  Councils  according  to  districts,  as  set  forth  in  the 
act,  and  they  chose  two  physicians  to  complete  the  roll.  Thus  for  40  years 
the  Reading  Board  of  Health  has  been  operating  under  a  law  which  has 
been  rendered  obsolete  by  40  years'  advance  in  medical  and  sanitary  science. 
The  first  step  in  reorganization  under  the  new  city  government  is  the 
abolition  of  the  present  Board.  According  to  the  terms  of  the  act  under 
which  the  city  government  of  Reading  will  hereafter  operate,  Council  has 
power  to  exercise  all  the  rights,  duties  and  obligations  imposed  by  existing 
legislation  upon  boards  of  health  in  cities  of  the  third  class.  In  order  to 
simplify  and  expedite  the  procedure  of  health  administration,  the  recently 
elected  Commission  or  Council  should  act  as  the  Board  of  Health  through 
that  member  of  Council  who  is  charged  with  the  administration  of  the 
department  of  public  safety. 


MEETINGS  OF  BOARD  INFREQUENT. 

The  act  of  1873  requires  that  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Health  shall 
take  place  at  least  once  a  week.  This  particular  section  of  the  law  has 
become  a  dead  letter,  however,  for  the  meetings  are  sometimes  several 
weeks  apart.  The  President  of  the  Board  religiously  notifies  the  members 
each  week  that  a  meeting  is  to  be  "called."  If  the  notice  is  written  in  red 
ink,  the  member  knows  that  the  meeting  will  be  important  and  that  his 
presence  is  desired..  If  the  notice  is  written  in  black,  however,,  he  knows 
that  his  presence  is  not  required,  and  pays  no  attention  to  it.  On  those 
nights  a  quorum  is  never  present,  of  course,  and  so  the  Secretary  simply 
records  in  his  minutes  that  on  account  of  the  lack  of  quorum  no  meeting 
was  held. 


HEALTH    DEPARTMENT.  17 


PERSONNEL 

HEALTH  FUNCTIONS  AND  PERSONNEL. 

It  is  evident  from  this  review  of  the  organization  of  the  Board  of  Health 
that  there  has  been  no  well  defined  plan  as  to  the  selection  or  appointment 
of  officials.  The  things  which  a  health  department  should  do  are  well 
defined.    They  may  be  briefly  enumerated,  according  to  functions,  as  follows: 

1 — Prevention  of  transmissible  diseases. 

2 — Preservation  of  the  health  of  children. 

3 — Protection  of  food  supply. 

4 — Care  of  the  sick  and  injured  in  hospitals. 

5 — Protection  of  the  health  of  laborers. 

6 — Recording  of  vital  statistics. 

7 — Sanitation  and  the  abatement  of  nuisances. 

8 — Laboratory  service  along  all  these  functional  lines. 

A  HEALTH  OFFICER  SERVING  FULL  TIME  IS  NEEDED. 

According  to  the  act  of  1873,  the  Board  was  empowered  to  appoint  a 
Commissioner  of  Health,  who  should  be  one  of  its  own  number.  The  sole 
stated  qualifications  for  the  officer  is  that  he  shall  be  a  citizen  of  Reading. 
No  other  qualifications  are  imposed.  The  opinion  of  the  Board  as  to  the 
Commissioner's  personal  fitness  is  all  that  is  required.  His  tenure  of  office 
is  unlimited  except  that  the  Board  may  dismiss  him  if  it  deems  him  unsatis- 
factory.    He  receives  a  salary  of  $880  per  year. 

The  present  health  service  lacks  a  head,  and  consequently  the  supervision 
which  only  a  responsible  head  can  give.  Serious  matters  vitally  affecting 
the  public  health  must  wait  for  action  by  the  Board,,  for  the  present  Health 
Commissioner,  lacking  authority  and  initiative,  depends  upon  its  decision. 
How  serious  this  lack  of  organization  and  supervision  may  be  is  well  illus- 
trated by  a  recent  instance  which  came  under  the  observation  of  the  investi- 
gator. The  Commissioner  of  Health  was  called  upon  to  restrain  and  quaran- 
tine an  individual  who  had  been  exposed  to  smallpox.  Through  timidity 
and  lack  of  knowledge  of  his  power,  he  was  uncertain  what  action  he  could 
take.  By  appealing  to  the  Board  at  its  meeting  several  hours  later,  he 
found  out,  after  considerable  discussion,  that  his  authority  was  clearly 
defined  and  his  duty  plainly  stated  in  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board. 
Smallpox  and  other  matters  requiring  immediate  control  need  prompt  and 
effective  action.  Such  dilatory  tactics  in  dealing  with  dangerous  diseases  is 
a  very  clear  indication  of  the  rueed  for  reorganizaton. 

The  health  officer,  in  the  reorganized  service  that  is  proposed,  should  be 
a  sanitarian — either  a  physician  trained  in  sanitary  science,  or  a  sanitary  engi- 
neer. He  should  be  a  full  time  official,  at  a  salary  of  at  least  $2,500.  Full 
time  service  is  essential  for  efficient  health  administration.  It  would  not 
be  considered  for  a  moment  that  the  city  could  get  the  best  service  from  a 
part  time  superintendent  of  the  Water  Department;  yet,  part  time  service 
in  that  department  would  not  mean  such  a  serious  loss  as  in  the  health 
department.  The  present  efficiency  of  the  Water  Department  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  department  is  supervised  by  a  full  time,  technically  trained, 
competent  head.     The  Commissioner  in  charge  of  the  Department  of  Public 


18  HEALTH    DEPARTMENT. 


Affairs  should  be  allowed  to  recommend  the  health  officer  who  should  be 
finally  chosen  by  the  entire  Council.  Extreme  latitude  should  be  allowed 
Council  in  selecting  this  officer  so  that  the  best  man  may  be  secured  regard- 
less of  his  residence.  Proved  incompetence  or  malfeasance  should  be  ground 
for  immediate  dismissal. 


MEDICAL  OFFICER  AS  ASSISTANT  COMMISSIONER. 

To  aid  the  Commissioner  of  Health  in  investigating  complaints  and  nuis- 
ances and  in  placarding  and  disinfecting,  there  is  an  Assistant  Commissioner 
of  Health,  appointed  by  the  Board.  His  qualifications  and  duties  are  no 
more  and  no  less  than  those  of  the  Commissioner.  His  office  is  not  statutory 
but  was  created  by  the  Board.     He  is  allowed  a  salary  of  $600  by  Council. 

The  Board  should  appoint  a  physician  whose  duty  it  would  be  to  super* 
vise  the  registration  and  control  of  disease,  to  investigate  all  cases  of  disease 
which  require  special  investigation,  and  to  make  examinations  before  release 
from  quarantine.  He  should  be  a  full  term  official,  if  possible,  at  a  salary 
of  $1,800  per  year.  Other  health  departments  have  found  it  advantageous 
to  offer  this  post  to  a  recently  graduated  physician,  who  has  his  reputation 
to  make.  He  should  be  selected  in  the  same  manner  as  the  health  officer 
and  should  hold  office  indefinitely,  though  subject  to  dismissal  for  incom- 
petence. 


IMPROVED  CLINICAL  SERVICE  NEEDED. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Health  is  chosen  by  the  Board  arid  his 
tenure  of  office,  like  that  of  other  officials,  is  limited  by  the  will  of  the  Board. 
It  is  his  duty  to  keep  the  minutes  of  the  Board  meetings  and  to  act  as  Reg- 
istrar of  vital  statistics  and  clerk  in  charge  of  the  registration  of  commu- 
nicable diseases.  His  salary,  fixed  by  Councils,,  is  $750  per  year.  It  is  recom- 
mended that  a  clerk  thoroughly  experienced  in  typewriting,  stenography, 
office  practice  and  record  keeping  be  employed,  at  a  salary  of  $750  per  year. 


PLUMBING  INSPECTION. 

A  Plumbing  Inspector  and  an  Assistant  Plumbing  Inspector  are  appointed 
by  the  Mayor  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  the  State  act  of  1909,  regarding 
the  supervision  of  plumbing.  The  Plumbing  Inspector,  who  is  a  journeyman 
plumber,  has  charge  of  all  plumbing  records  and  passes  upon  all  plumbing 
plans.  He  acts  also  as  a  member  of  the  Examining  Board  for  licensing 
plumbers  and  inspects  and  passes  upon  plumbing  installations.  He  receiv  - 
a  salary  of  $1,000  per  year,  which  is  fixed  by  Council.  The  work  of  his 
assistant  is  wholly  that  of  inspecting  plumbing  work  as  directed  by  the  chief. 
He  receives   a  salary  of  $780  per  year. 

As  the  State  law  requires  plumbing  inspection  and  the  licensing  of  plum- 
bers to  be  under  the  direction  of  the  department  or  Board  of  Health,  this 
work  must  be  continued  for  the  present,,  at  least,  as  part  of  the  health  ser- 
vice, although  it  is  not  properly  a  function  of  the  health  bureau. 


HEALTH    DEPARTMENT.  19 


MORE  FOOD  INSPECTORS. 

The  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector,  who  is  a  veterinarian,  is  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Board,  although  appointed  by  the  Mayor.  He  is  required  to 
inspect  dairies,  milk  stores,  meat  markets  and  abattoirs,  and  to  make  such 
laboratory  tests  as  may  be  necessary  to  control  the  handling  and  sale  of 
meat  and  milk.  He  receives  a  salary  of  $1,800  per  year.  Within  the  past 
year  the  Board  has  appointed  an  Assistant  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector,  who 
is  required  to  assist  in  the  field  inspections  of  places  where  meat  or  milk 
is  sold  or  handled.  The  salary  for  this  office — $1,200  per  year,  has  been 
allowed  by  the  Board  from  its  miscellaneous  funds.  The  inspector  has  been 
furnished  by  the  Board  with  a  clerk,  who,  in  addition  to  the  necessary  cleri- 
cal and  stenographic  service,  assists  in  the  laboratory  work.  Though  having 
no  technical  training,  he  performs  the  chemical  analyses  of  milk  under  the 
training  and  direction  of  the  inspector.  His  salary — $60  per  month — is  also 
paid  from  the  miscellaneous  funds  of  the  Board. 

For  the  protection  of  the  food  supply,  it  is  recommended  that  the  present 
personnel  be  continued,  with  the  exception  of  the  clerk.  He  may  be  assigned 
to  laboratory  service  under  the  director  of  the  laboratory  which  is  recom- 
mended in  this  report.  The  work,  however,  should  be  arranged  differently. 
The  present  inspector  should  be  appointed  meat  inspector  and  should  have 
sole  charge  of  the  inspection  of  meat,  at  the  salary  he  now  receives.  The 
present  assistant  inspector  should  be  appointed  milk  inspector  with  entire 
charge  of  that  work.  Subsequent  selections  for  these  positions  should  be 
based  on  examination,  but  for  the  present  it  is  advisable  to  continue  the 
existing  force  in  office,  because  of  their  familiarity  with  conditions  and  their 
general  competence — which  will  be  increased  fully  too  per  cent,  by  the  re- 
organization of  the  service.  An  inspector  of  foods,  other  than  meat  and 
milk,  should  also  be  provided,  at  a  salary  of  $1,200  per  year.  His  work  would 
consist  of  inspecting  all  other  stores  handling  and  selling  food — including 
eggs,  vegetables,  fruits,  confectionery  and  ice  cream,  bake-stuffs,  etc. 

CHILD  WELFARE  NURSES. 

For  carrying  on  the  work  of  protecting  the  health  of  children,  there 
should  be  at  least  two  nurses  to  visit  homes  where  there  is  need  of  nursing 
care  or  advice.  They  should  be  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  Health 
Commissioner.     Their  salaries   should  be  at  least  $750  per  year. 

IMPROVED   SANITARY   INSPECTION. 

The  Commissioner  of  Health  and  his  assistant  are  now  required  to 
make  all  necessary  sanitary  inspections.  Under  the  new  regime  the  health 
officer  should  not  be  required  to  perform  this  work.  There  should  be  at 
least  two  sanitary  inspectors,  at  salaries  of  $900  each,  under  the  direction 
of  the   Commissioner. 

SMOKE  INSPECTION  AND   PREVENTION. 

Although  there  is  a  smoke  prevention  ordinance,  no  officer  has  been 
appointed    to    supervise    this    service.      There    should    be    a    smoke    inspector 


20 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


to    secure    evidence    against    persons    violating    this    ordinance    and    to    carry 
on  a  campaign  of  education.     He  should  receive  a  salary  of  $1,200  per  year. 

LABORATORY  SERVICE. 

A  bacteriologist  and  chemist  is  needed — but  until  sufficient  money  is 
appropriated  to  provide,  equip  and  maintain  a  health  laboratory,  this  appoint- 
ment need  not  be  made.  The  Bacteriologist  and  Chemist  should  be  a  thor- 
oughly trained  expert.  He  should  receive  at  least  $1,500  per  year,  and  should 
devote  his  entire  time  to  the  work.  He  should  be  selected  by  a  competitive 
examination.  The  clerk  now  employed  by  the  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector 
could  be  very  advantageously  used  in  the  chemical  analysis  of  milk,  in  which 
he  has  been  trained  by  the  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector.  The  present  salary 
allowance  for  this  assistant  ($60  per  month)  is  ample. 


SUMMARY  OF  PROPOSED  ORGANIZATION. 

1 — For  immediate  service — 

Position  Salary 

Health    officer    $2500 

Assistant   health   officer 1800 

Plumbing  inspector 1000 

Assistant   plumbing   inspector 780 

Meat  inspector 1800 

Milk  inspector   1200 

Food  inspector  (other  foods) 1200 

Child  welfare  nurses  (2  at  $750) 1500 

Sanitary  inspectors  (2  at  $900) 1800 

Smoke    inspector    1200 

Clerk 750 

2 — For  future   additional   service — 

Bacteriologist    1500 

Assistant ($60  per  month)  720 


$15,530 


2.220 


$17,750 


EXAMINATIONS,  PROMOTIONS  AND  SALARY  INCREASES. 

None  of  the  officials  in  the  Health  Department  obtain  their  positions 
by  examination.  Except  for  those  employees  who  are  appointed  by  the 
Mayor,  the  Board  is  the  sole  judge  of  their  qualifications  and  fitness.  N"o 
provision  is  made  for  salary  increases  or  promotions;  the  Board  acts  in 
these  matters  as  it  sees  fit.  One  instance  of  salary  increase  granted  by  the 
Board  came  to  the  notice  of  the  investigator.  On  the  recommendation  of 
the  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector,  the  Board  decided  to  grant  an  increase  of 
salary  to  a  clerk  in  his  office.  On  the  verbal  recommendation  of  the  inspector, 
unsupported  by  service  records  or  time  sheets,  the  Board  granted  an  increase 
of  $10  a  month.  As  the  Board  had  before  it  no  records  showing  the  need 
or  advisability  of  this  salary  increase,  its  action  in  this  particular  case  cannot 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 21 

be  commended,  however  deserving  of  salary  increase  the  employee  may  have 
been.  No  increase  of  salary  or  promotion  should  be  granted  by  the  Board 
without  an  exact  statement  of  the  facts,  supported  by  the  time  and  service 
records  of  the  employee  in  question. 

TEMPORARY  EMPLOYEES. 

For  the  care  and  control  of  smallpox  patients,  the  department  now 
employs  at  the  pesthouse  a  physician  at  $7.00  per  day,  a  nurse  at  $5.00  per 
day  and  a  caretaker  at  $3.50  per  day.  In  addition,  four  watchmen  are  em- 
ployed at  $3.00  per  day  each  to  guard  the  rooms  of  patients  quarantined 
for  smallpox.  The  total  daily  cost  for  this  entire  service,  $27.50,  is  paid  from 
the  miscellaneous  funds  of  the  Board.  The  necessity  for  such  great  expense 
would  not  exist  had  proper  measures  of  control  been  instituted  by  private 
physicians  and  health  officials  at  the  beginning.  Health  protection  is  cheap; 
ineffcient  health  measures,  however,  exact  an  excessive  toll.      " 


HEALTH   APPROPRIATIONS 

LITTLE  SPENT  FOR  HEALTH. 

Only  $15,810  was  appropriated  for  use  by  the  Health  Board  during  the 
current  year.     Of  this  sum  $10,000  was  appropriated  as  follows: 
For    abating    nuisances — chiefly    those    requiring 

improving  and  paving,  of  alleys $6,,ooo 

For    miscellaneous    purposes 3-500 

Including  the   following   salaries: 
Assistant    Meat    and    Milk    Inspector    (9*4 

mos.) $925 

Laboratory   Assistant    (9T/2   mos.) 750 

For  the  suppression  of  epidemics 500 

$10,000 

In  addition  to  the  above  items,  special  salary  appropriations  were  made 

as  follows : 

Secretary  to  the  Board $     750 

Meat  and  Milk  Inspector 1,800 

Plumbing    Inspector    1,000 

Assistant  Plumbing  Inspector   780 

Health    Commissioner    880 

Assistant  Health  Commissioner  600 

5,810 


$15,810 

Of  the  $6,000  for  improving  and  paving  alleys,  $3,000  has  been  transferred 
recently  to  an  emergency  account  for  the  suppression  of  contagious  diseases. 
The  appropriations  for  health  purposes,  therefore,  amounted  to  $12,810,  all 
of  which,  except  reserves  for  salaries,  has  been  spent  already.  There  are 
also  several  bills  outstanding  and  no  funds  available  for  the  next  y'j  months. 
On  the  basis   of  the  above  appropriation  actual  health   service  costs   only    13 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


cents  per  capita.  For  the  next  3^  months  the  present  service  requires 
$3,500  to  $4,000  at  the  very  least,  or  only  3  or  4  cents  per  capita. 

Public  health  is  purchasable.  Dr.  William  H.  Park,  Director  of  the 
Bureau  of  Laboratories  of  the  New  York  Health  Department,  says:  "Cities 
ranging  from  30,000  to  50,000  in  population  should  have  a  minimum  per 
capita  cost  of  50  cents.  Cities  ranging  from  50,000  to  100,000  should  have 
a  minimum  per  capita  cost  of  75  cents;  cities  from  100,000  to  300,000  should 
have  a  minimum  per  capita  cost  of  85  cents,  and  all  cities  over  300,000  should 
have  not  less  than  $1.00  per  capita."  New  York  City  spends  65  cents  per 
capita  for  health  service,  and  other  progressive  American  cities  spend  30 
cents  to  60  cents.  The  last  report  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  the  Census 
shows  that  Reading  spent  only  8  cents  per  capita  for  health  conservation. 

There  were  only  three  cities  in  the  United  States  in  Reading's  class 
spending  less  for  health  conservation.  These  cities  were  Wilkesbarre,  Pa., 
Allentown,  Pav  and  Pawtucket,  R.  I.  That  Reading  has  increased  her  per 
capita  cost  so  little  in  the  last  few  years  does  not  indicate  that  Reading  has 
awakened  to  her  health  problem. 

BUDGET  ESTIMATES  UNSUPPORTED. 

The  estimates  prepared  by  the  Board  of  Health  for  submission  to  Coun- 
cils, on  which  appropriations  for  the  current  year  were  made,  were  set  up 
as  follows: 

For  abating  nuisances $21,600 

For  salary  of  contagious  disease  nurse 900 

Miscellaneous    (supplies,   additional  salaries,   etc.)  5,000 

Salary    of    child    welfare    nurse 600 

Cost  of  site  of  municipal  hospital 10,000 

Salary   and   expenses   for   an   assistant   meat    and 

milk  inspector    1.500 

Emergency  fund    5„ooo  • 

$44,600 

Upon  what  basis  these  estimates  were  made  is  a  matter  of  conjecture,  as 
no  supporting  facts  were  submitted.  The  action  of  Councils  in  granting  less 
than  one-fourth  of  the  estimate  was  entirely  justifiable.  So  long  as  budget 
estimates  are  prepared  in  this  way,  health  department  officials  have  no  right 
to  expect  an  increase  in  funds.  To  allow  the  department  $21,600  for  the 
abatement  of  nuisances  arising  from  unsanitary  private  alleys,  which  owners 
of  the  abutting  property  should  be  compelled  to  keep  clean,  would  have  been 
criminal.  To  have  allowed  $5,000  "for  miscellaneous  purposes"  in  the  pur- 
chase of  supplies  and  for  additional  salaries  without  obtaining  a  detailed 
statement  of  the  need  and  of  the  specific  items  included  in  -each  request, 
would  have  been  a  misuse  of  public  money. 

PAVING,  REPAIRING  AND  CLEANING  ALLEYS. 

The  funds  available  for  paving  and  cleaning  alleys  are  used  at  the  discre- 
tion of  the  Board.  The  cost  is  divided  among  owners  of  property  abutting 
on  the  alley,  according  to  the  number  of  square  yards  owned  by  each.  The 
total  cost  includes  the  cost  of  construction  and  the  cost  of  inspection  by  the 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  23 


Health  Commissioner.  When  the  work  is  completed,  each  property  owner 
receives  a  bill  for  the  amount  of  his  indebtedness,  payable  to  the  City 
Treasurer. 

REVENUE 

ACCOUNTING  METHODS. 

The  Board  of  Health  does  not  keep  any  of  the  funds  it  receives.  All 
moneys  received  for  permits,  licenses,  or  other  fees  are  turned  over  to  the 
City  Treasurer  once  a  month.  The  stubs  of  permits  and  licenses,  upon 
which  the  amounts  received  by  the  Board  are  entered,  are  audited  by  the 
Comptroller  and  checked  against  the  amount  received  by  the  City  Treasurer 
from  the  Board.  In  the  case  of  permits  to  sell  meat  and  milk,  the  permit 
is  issued  only  when  the  Treasurers  receipt  for  the  fee  is  presented  to  the 
Meat  and  Milk  Inspector.  No  money  passes  through  the  hands  of  this 
official. 

,FOOD  INSPECTION  SELF-SUPPORTING. 

Licenses  for  the  sale  of  meat  and  milk  cost  $10.00  a  year.  As  there  are 
approximately  550  dealers  in  meat  and  milk,  the  revenue  from  this  source 
alone  is  over  $5,000  a  year.  This,,  as  has  been  stated,  is  paid  into  the  city 
treasury.  In  the  fiscal  year  1911-1912,  the  Board  received  $1,284.29  for  other 
fees,  permits,  licenses  and  fines,  all  of  which  was  also  turned  over  to  the  City 
Treasurer.  The  City  Treasurer  thus  receives  approximately  $7,000  per 
annum  from  the  Health  Department  which  is  about  equal  to  the  amount  now 
spent  for  salaries  of  all  health  officials.  The  sum  received  from  meat  and 
milk  permits  is  alone  equal  to  the  entire  cost  of  maintaining  meat  and  milk 
inspections,  even  with  the  increased  staff  recommended. 

PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES 

LOOSE  METHODS  COSTLY. 

No  inventory  of  supplies  is  kept,  and  no  records  are  available  to  show 
what  the  department  is  spending  for  supplies  or  how  its  supplies  are  being 
used.  Looseness  in  handling  supplies  naturally  results  in  their  being  lost  or 
misused,  which  means  increased  expenses.  The  Board  of  Health  should  be 
required  to  furnish  complete  and  detailed  records  of  all  supplies  purchased, 
to  whom  delivered,  how  and  when  used  and  all  other  data  necessary  in 
checking  this  important  item.  Employees  now  purchase  supplies  as  needed 
and  have  them  charged  to  the  Board.  Except  for  purchases  involving  large 
sums,  little  restriction  is  placed  upon  the  action  of  employees  in  this  respect. 
The  fact  that  the  Board,  which  is  the  sole  authority,  meets  but  once  a  week, 
makes  it  inconvenient,  or  impossible,  for  employees  to  obtain  orders  for 
supplies  needed  in  emergencies.  No  purchases  should  be  made  without  proper 
authority  or  without  proper  supervision  and  control  of  the  methods  of  pur- 
chasing and  the  quality  of  articles  purchased. 


24  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS 

FLOOR  SPACE  LIMITED. 

Only  one  room  is  allowed  in  the  city  hall  for  the  offices  of  the  Board  of 
Health.  In  this  one  room  the  Secretary  has  his  desk  and  records,  the 
Plumbing  Inspector  his  desk  and  records,  and  the  Commissioner  and  other 
employees  their  quarters.  The  room  is  used  also  for  Board  meetings,  and  a 
large  share  of  the  limited  floor  space  is  occupied  by  a  long  library  table, 
around  which  the  Board  sits  at  its  weekly  meetings.  In  a  corner  of  the 
room  is  another  large  table  piled  high  with  a  miscellaneous  assortment  of 
reports  of  plumbing  inspection,  vital  statistics,  Board  minutes  and  other 
records.  In  a  closet  or  vault  opening  into  the  office  are  stored  supplies, 
copies  of  birth  and  death  records,  reports,  pamphlets  and  miscellaneous 
records.  As  no  attempt  is  made  to  keep  different  kinds  of  records  separate 
or  to  separate  current  files  from  matters  that  have  been  disposed  of,  searching 
for  any  particular  record  is  a  long  and  tedious  process. 

MEAT  AND  MILK  INSPECTOR'S  QUARTERS  INADEQUATE. 

The  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector  has  been  given  a  small  room  about  12 
feet  square  on  the  top  floor  of  the  city  hall.  In  this  one  room  he  has  to 
transact  all  his  business.  Here  he  has  his  desk  and  records,  together  with 
all  the  apparatus  he  needs  for  bacteriological  and  chemical  tests.  No  matter 
how  carefully  he  performs  his  work,  his  efficiency  and  that  of  his  staff  is 
impaired  fully  50  per  cent,  by  the  inadequacy  of  his  quarters. 

PREVENTION  OFTRANSMISSIBLE  DISEASES 

COMMUNICABLE  DISEASES  UNCONTROLLED. 

Ten  cases  of  smallpox  in  Reading  are  equivalent  to  more  than  500  cases 
in  New  York  City,  and  yet  New  York  City  had  but  19  cases  in  1913.  The 
489  cases  of  typhoid  fever  reported  in  Reading  during  1913  are  equivalent 
to  25,000  cases  in  a  city  the  size  of  New  York;  and  yet  for  the  same  period 
in  New  York  there  were  but  2190  cases — not  10  per  cent,  as  many  as  in 
Reading. 

HEALTH  FACTS  CONCEALED. 

The  record  of  the  Board  of  Health  showing  the  prevalence  of  communi- 
cable diseases  during  the  last  year  is  misleading.  In  the  last  report  read 
at  the  Board  meeting  November  io„  1913,  ten  cases  of  varioloid  were  men- 
tioned. This  is  a  deception  which  should  not  be  countenanced.  Varioloid 
is  a  disease  closely  allied  to  smallpox,  in  that  it  is  due  to  the  same  cause. 
It  differs,  however,  from  smallpox  in  that  it  is  much  milder  and  consequently 
of  less  danger  to  the  patient  and  to  those  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 
Practically,  however,  it  is  genuine  smallpox  modified  and  mitigated  by  the 
previous  vaccination  of  the  patient.  As  far  as  the  supervision  and  control 
of  health  are  concerned,  it  must  be  treated  in  precisely  the  same  way  as 
smallpox.  Of  the  ten  cases  reported  as  varioloid  since  October  2,  1913,  six 
were  undeniably  smallpox,  as  the  records   of  the   Health   Department   show 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


clearly  that  the  individual  had  never  been  previously  vaccinated.  Two  cases 
were  really  varioloid,  because  those,  two  patients  had  been  vaccinated.  In 
two  cases  reported  as  smallpox,  no  data  are  recorded  as  to  whether  the 
patients  had  previously  been  vaccinated.  A  smallpox  epidemic,  for  which 
the  Board  of  Health  is  not  prepared,  is  imminent  in  Reading. 

REGISTRATION  OF  DISEASE. 

The  diseases  which  must  be  reported  are  fixed  by  State  law.  This  law 
requires  the  medical  attendant,  if  there  be  one,  or  the  head  of  the  family, 
or  the  nurse,  to  report  in  writing  all  cases  of  diseases  named  in  the  act 
within  six  hours  after  receiving  knowledge  of  such  cases.  At  present  this 
six-hour  requirement  is  not  observed.  Physicians  report  chiefly  by  telephone, 
and  are  then  requested  to  send  in  the  regular  written  report  form.  This  is 
not  commonly  done  within  six  hours,  according  to  the  statements  of  the 
clerk  who  receives  such  communications.  As  no  prosecutions  are  instituted 
against  persons  breaking  the  law,  the  reporting  is  incomplete.  In  all  proba- 
bility it  will  continue  to  be  incomplete  unless  the  law  is  enforced.  All  persons 
violating  this  law  should  be  prosecuted  relentlessly,  for  the  health  officer 
must  know  immediately  where  diseases  are  in  order  to  surround  each  case 
with  proper  safeguards. 

AGGRESSIVE  POLICY  LACKING. 

At  present  no  investigation  is  made  of  cases  reported  to  determine  what 
measures  shall  be  taken  and  to  search  out  the  causes  contributing  to  the 
spread  of  the  disease.  There  is  no  medical  officer  in  charge  of  this  work 
except  the  chairman  of  the  contagious  disease  committee.  This  officer  is 
unfitted  for  this  work  on  account  of  the  demands  of  his  private  practice  and 
his  lack  of  aggressive  policy.  Under  the  reorganized  health  service,,  this  work 
would  fall  to  the  full  term  medical  officer  of  the  department.  The  alarming 
prevalence  of  typhoid  fever  (489  cases  in  less  than  11  months)  is  sufficient 
evidence  of  the  inadequacy  of  the  supervision  of  this  disease.  The  increase 
of  2,739  cases  of  communicable  disease  in  T913  can  mean  nothing  but  ineffi- 
ciency, which  should  be  remedied  at  the  earliest  possible  moment. 

TUBERCULOSIS   REGISTRATION   UNPROVIDED   FOR. 

No  systematic  effort  has  been  made  to  obtain  proper  registry  of  cases 
of  tuberculosis.  This  work  has  been  left  to  private  agencies  and  to  the 
State  dispensary  authorities.  The  Board  of  Health,  however,  should  at  once 
assume  charge  of  it.  Tt  is  the  business  of  the  Board  of  Health  to  keep 
records  of  all  cases  of  disease;  for  no  disease  is  this  more  important  than 
for   tuberculosis. 

UNSATISFACTORY  RECORDS. 

Records  of  communicable  disease  are  extremely  unsatisfactory.  No 
attempt  is  made  to  file  the  original  reports  sent  in  by  physicians.  They  are 
simply  thrown  into  a  pigeon  hole  in  the  vault  at  the  Board's  office,  after  the 
principal  facts  as  to  the  location  of  the  case  and  the  name  of  disease  have 


26 HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

been  entered  in  a  large  register.  This  register  does  not,  however,  give 
any  information  as  to  the  action  taken  in  placarding,  disinfecting,  or  excluding 
from  school.  Reports  of  communicable  diseases  should  be  filed  by  disease, 
name  of  patient,,  or  street  number,  in  order  that  the  original  record  made 
by  the  physician  may  be  promptly  available  to  the  health  officer.  All  the  facts 
about  a  case  should  be  kept  together;  the  chief  executive  or  supervisor  should 
have,  in  a  card  index  or  a  register,  a  complete  record  of  each  case  from  the 
first  report  to  the  termination  of  the  case  by  death  or  otherwise. 

LOCATION  CHARTS.  OF  DISEASES  NEEDED. 

No  pin  maps  or  charts  are  kept  to  show  the  location  of  various  diseases 
such  as  scarlet  fever,  diphtheria,  tuberculosis  and  typhoid.  These  are  a  valu- 
able aid  to  the  health  officer  in  visualizing  the  problem  of  preventing  com- 
municable disease. 

PLACARDING  FOR  COMMUNICABLE  DISEASES. 

The  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Board,  in  accordance  with  the  State 
laws,  require  placarding  for  certain  diseases,  among  which  are  malaria  and 
typhoid  fever.  Placarding  of  these  diseases  is  unnecessary,  as  neither  malaria 
nor  typhoid  is  transmitted  directly  from  one  individual  to  another.  Proper 
supervision  of  methods  of  care  and  treatment,  and  cleanliness  are  all  that 
are  needed.  To  spend  time  and  money  in  placarding  malaria  and  typhoid 
fever,  and  no  time  or  money  in  searching  out  the  breeding  places  of  mos- 
quitoes that  carry  the  malaria  and  the  sources  of  the  typhoid  infection,  is 
unwarranted  and  steps  should  be  taken  to  amend  the  State  law. 

QUARANTINE  REGULATIONS  INEFFECTIVE. 

Placards  are  posted  by  the  Commissioner  and  his  assistant.  From  the 
time  the  placard  is  posted  to  the  time  it  is  removed  and  the  house  is  disin- 
fected, no  attempt  is  made  to  exercise  any  supervision  over  the  case,  beyond 
the  mere  distribution  of  printed  circulars  to  the  family  when  the  placard  is 
put  up.  In  cases  of  transmissible  disease  not  under  the  care  of  private 
physicians,  constant  supervision  by  representatives  of  the  bureau  of  health 
is  needed.     This  should  be  provided  for. 

EXAMINATION  NEEDED  BEFORE  QUARANTINE  IS  RELEASED. 

Quarantine  periods  have  been  fixed  by  the  Board,  at  the  end  of  which 
cases  are  automatically  released.  No  case  of  communicable  disease  should 
be  released  until  the  quarantine  period  has  ended  and  until  the  attending 
physician  has  submitted  a  written  certificate  that  release  is  proper.  All  cases 
not  under  private  care  should  be  examined  by  the  medical  officer  of  the 
Board  before  release.  In  cases  of  diphtheria,  no  patient  should  be  released 
without  negative  cultures  from  the  throat  on  two  successive  days. 

DIPHTHERIA  CULTURES  NOT  REQUIRED. 

No  arrangement  is  now  made  to  obtain  cultures  from  the  throats  of  diph- 
theria patients  before  release  from  quarantine,  as  no  facilities  for  laboratory 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 27 

examinations  have  been  provided  by  the  Board.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
State  Board  of  Health  is  ready  and  willing  to  do  this  work,  physicians  in 
Reading  do  not  make  use  of  its  services.  It  is  well  recognized  that  persons 
apparently  cured  of  diphtheria  may  long  remain  capable  of  transmitting  the 
disease  to  others,  on  account  of  the  persistence  of  the  diphtheria  bacteria 
in  their  throats.  In  this  particular  disease  the  danger  of  releasing  a  patient 
from  quarantine  before  a  bacteriological  analysis  has  proved  him  cured  is 
very  great.  That  the  laxity  of  quarantine  regulations  in  Reading  is  responsi- 
ble for  the  spread  of  diphtheria  and  other  diseases  can  only  be  surmised; 
what  has  proved  true  in  other  cities,  however,  must  necessarily  hold  true 
in   Reading  as  well. 

EXCLUSION  FROM  SCHOOL. 

The  periods  of  exclusion  from  school,,  which  are  fixed  by  the  rules  and 
regulations  of  the  Board,  are  longer  than  the  quarantine  periods  for  the 
same  diseases.  The  lack  of  proper  examination  of  children  at  release  from 
quarantine  makes  long  periods  of  exclusion  from  school  necessary,  particu- 
larly for  those  cases  not  under  private  care.  The  lack  of  adequate  provision 
for  taking  and  examining  diphtheria  cultures  means  the  loss  of  at  least  one 
week's  school  time  for  the  child.  The  loss  of  school  time  by  the  child  could 
be  greatly  diminished  by  proper  supervision  of  all  cases  before  release  from 
quarantine,  and  examination  of  children  before  readmission  by  school  physi- 
cians. The  spread  of  contagion  is  increased  rather  than  diminished  by  releas- 
ing the  child  from  quarantine  and  allowing  him  to  play  in  the  street  f.br  a 
week  to  three  weeks  before  he  can  return  to  school.  It  would  be  far  better 
to  let  him  return  to  school  at  the  end  of  quarantine;  for  there,  at  least,  he 
can  be  under  the  observation  of  a  physician. 

DISINFECTION  RECORD  INCOMPLETE. 

The  records  of  disinfection  are  too  fragmentary  to  give  a  basis  for  accur- 
ate judgment  of  the  efficiency  of  this  service.  The  record  of  disinfection 
consists  merely  in  an  entry  of  the  date  of  disinfection,  following  a  previous 
entry  of  the  date  when  the  premises  were  placarded.  No  records  are  available 
to  show  that  disinfection  has  been  properly  performed.  In  fact,  the  evidence 
tends  to  show  that  it  is  very  inefficiently  performed.  The  Board  uses  a 
formaldehyde  generator  which  is  a  good  one  of  its  type — a  one-ounce  gen- 
erator supposed  to  be  sufficient  to  disinfect  1,000  cubic  feet.  There  are. 
however,  no  records  showing  the  capacity  of  rooms  fumigated  or  the  number 
of  generators  used  at  each  fumigation.  No  tests,  laboratory  or  otherwise, 
are  applied  to  determine  the  efficiency  of  the  process. 

AN  INSTANCE  OF  INEFFICIENCY. 

The  chief  nurse  of  the  department  of  school  hygiene  cites  an  instance 
which  was  reported  to  her  by  one  of  her  nurses.  When  the  health  official 
came  to  disinfect  the  premises,  it  was  inconvenient  for  the  woman  to  have 
the  work  done  at  that  time.  Accordingly,  the  official  simply  left  the  generator 
in  her  charge  to  use  as  she  saw  fit. 


28  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


UNNECESSARY  FUMIGATION. 

As  no  provision  is  made  for  the  disinfection  or  sterilization  of  bedding, 
hanging,  carpets,  etc.,  which  cannot  be  effectively  disinfected  by  the  methods 
now  in  use,  the  value  of  disinfection  as  now  practiced  is  probably  very  slight. 
In  the  City  of  Providence,  Dr.  Chapin,  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  able 
health  officers,  abandoned  disinfection  for  diphtheria,  measles  and  scarlet 
fever  many  years  ago,  and  he  reports  that  no  increase  in  the  prevalence  of 
these  diseases  has  resulted.  In  New  York  City  no  fumigation  has  been  per- 
formed since  1912  for  diphtheria  and  measles.  There  were  2,250  cases  of 
these  two  diseases  in  Reading  this  year.  Each  generator  of  the  size  that  is 
used  costs  the  department  15  cents.  Calculating  the  time  required  for  each 
disinfection  at  one  hour  and  the  hourly  cost  of  the  inspector's  time  at  50 
cents,  each  fumigation  costs  the  department  at  the  very  least  65  cents;  this 
gives  a  total  for  diphtheria  and  measles  alone  of  $1,462.50. 

For  the  expenditure  of  this  sum,  which  is  only  a  portion  of  the  cost  of 
fumigation,  there  are  no  records  of  any  value.  The  department  should  keep 
thorough  records  of  all  this  work,  including  the  number  and  size  of  rooms 
fumigated,  the  time  spent  in  fumigation  and  the  materials  used.  From  these 
facts  conclusions  may  be  drawn  as  to  the  value  of  fumigation.  The  State 
law  specifies  that  fumigation  must  be  provided  for  certain  transmissible  dis- 
eases. Reading  should,  however,  be  the  first  city  to  recognize  the  inadequacy 
of  the  State  law  and  should  begin  the  movement  which  will  result  in  more 
freedom  for  local  health  departments. 

STERILIZING  AND  DISINFECTING  STATIONS  NEEDED. 

The  Board  should  be  prepared  to  sterilize,  disinfect  or  destroy  at  a  disin- 
fection station  all  materials  which  cannot  be  properly  disinfected  in  the  homes 
of  patients.  It  frequently  happens  that  bedding,  carpets,  etc.,  which  have 
been  used  by  patients  ill  with  dangerous  communicable  diseases  are  in  such 
a  filthy  state  that  they  cannot  be  disinfected  by  fumigation.  Such  material 
should  be  removed  and  disinfected  or  destroyed  by  the  Board,  under  the 
supervision  of  one  of  its  sanitary  officers. 


PROTECTION  OF  THE  HEALTH  OF  CHILDREN 

INFANT  MORTALITY  HIGH. 

Three  hundred  and  six  babies  under  one  year  of  age  (exclusive  of  still- 
births) died  in  Reading  during  1912.  It  is  well  known  that  unclean,  bacteria 
laden  milk  is  the  greatest  single  cause  of  infant  mortality.  The  percentage 
of  these  deaths  due  to  diarrhoea  and  enteritis  cannot  be  accurately  determined, 
as  the  death  records  of  the  department  have  not  been  so  recorded  that  the 
figures  can  be  compiled.  From  such  tabulations  as  arc  available,  however, 
it  is  estimated  that  one-third  of  the  deaths  of  children  under  one  year  of  age- 
were  due  to  diarrhoea  and  enteritis.  Reading's  infant  mortality  rate,  133.4 
per  1,000,  is  excessive.  New  York  City,  with  its  intensely  congested,  unsani- 
tary districts  and  its  milk  supply  drawn  from  an  extended  area,  had  a  rate 
of   only    105.3   per    T.ooo   for    1912.      Philadelphia    has    an    even    lower    rate    of 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT 


102.4  per  1,000.  An  aggressive  program  for  the  reduction  of  infant  mortality 
by  requiring  definite  milk  standards,  by  educating  and  instructing  mothers 
through  visiting  nurses  and  by  supervising  midwives,  day  nurseries  and 
foundling  homes  will  save  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  Reading  babies. 

CHILD  WELFARE  PROGRAM  LACKING. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  the  Board  of  Health  has  evidenced  any  great  inter- 
est in  the  protection  of  the  health  of  children.  Apart  from  the  efforts  to 
improve  the  milk  supply,  the  health  of  Reading  children  is  apparently  a 
matter  which  the  Health  Board  has  not  considered  at  any  length.  Although 
the  Board  asked  for  a  child  welfare  nurse  last  year,  it  did  not  support  its 
request  with  the  facts  proving  the  need,  and  the  request  was  denied  by 
Councils.  Six  hundred  dollars  was  asked  for  the  salary  of  a  child  welfare 
nurse — a  pitifully  small  sum — while  $21,600  was  requested  for  the  abatement 
of  nuisances  in  alleys.  No  more  serious  arraignment  of  Reading's  public 
health  policy  than  this  can  be  made.  The  protection  given  to  the  health  of 
the  city's  children  is  one  of  the  most  important  functions  of  the  Health  De- 
partment, and  affords  a  good  index  of  the  progressiveness  of  the  service. 

SUPERVISION  OF  MIDWIVES  LACKING. 

Xo  supervision  of  midwives  is  at  present  maintained.  Midwives  are 
registered  only  as  their  names  are  found  attached  to  birth  certificates, 
but  aside  from  the  entry  of  their  names  and  addresses  nothing  is  done. 
An  examination  of  100  birth  records  shows  that  14  per  cent,  of  births  were 
reported  by  midwives.  In  a  manufacturing  city  with  a  large  foreign  popu- 
lation rigid  supervision  of  the  methods  and  equipment  of  midwives  is  im- 
perative. 

An  act  of  the  Legislature  of  June  5th,  1913,  providing  for  examination  and 
license  of  midwives  according  to  rules  established  by  the  Bureau  of  Medical 
Education  and  Licensure,  becomes  effective  on  December  5,  1913.  For  the 
State  to  supervise  their  examination  and  license  is  well  enough  so  far  as 
it  goes,  but  it  leaves  their  equipment  and  their  methods  of  operation  un- 
controlled. The  City  of  Reading  should  supplement  the  State  law  by  having 
a  medical  officer  or  a  nurse  of  the  Health  Department  inspect  and,  if  neces- 
sary, add  to  the  equipment  with  which  midwives  are  supplied,  and  supervise 
the  methods  they  use  in  caring  for  the  child  and  the  mother. 

XO   MEASURES  TAKEN  TO  PREVENT  OPHTHALMIA  NEONATO- 
RUM. 

Birth  certificates  do  not  contain  any  statement  of  the  methods  used  to 
prevent  ophthalmia  neonatorum.  As  there  is  no  supervision  of  midwives, 
nothing  is  known  about  the  methods  they  use  to  prevent  this  very  frequent 
cause  of  blindness  in  children.  The  Board  of  Health  should  supply  physi- 
cians and  midwives  with  outfits  of  silver  nitrate  for  preventative  treatment 
of  the  eyes  of  the  newly  born.  The  cost  of  these  outfits  is  very  small  and 
the  possible  result  in  saving  eyesight  great.  Although  only  one  case  of 
ophthalmia  neonatorum  has  been  reported  thus  far  this  year,  there  is  reason 
for  believing  that  more  cases  exist  than  are  reported.     In  1909  only  12  cases 


30  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

of  ophthalmia  neonatorum  were  reported  in  New  York  City.  As  the  result 
of  an  investigation  in  1910  however,  covering  the  period  from  April  15  to 
September  15,  26  cases  were  discovered,  23  of  which,  or  89  per  cent.,  had  been 
attended  by  midwives. 

LIVES  SAVED  BY  VISITING  NURSES. 

The  last  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Health  shows  that  99  babies  were 
still-born  and  93  prematurely-born  in  1912.  Many  mothers  have  never 
been  taught  how  to  take  care  of  themselves  during  pregnancy  and  confine- 
ment in  order  to  prevent  the  death  of  their  babies  before  or  at  the  time 
of  their  birth.  The  remarkable  results  obtained  in  New  York  City  through 
the  employment  of  nurses  to  visit  mothers  during  pregnancy  and  immediately 
after  confinement  proves  clearly  that  a  real  need  is  being  met  by  this  work. 
Reading  ought  to  appoint  a  trained  child  welfare  nurse  to  meet  both 
these  needs — to  supervise  the  methods  and  practice  of  midwives.  and  to 
give  mothers  medical  care  and  advice  during  and  after  confinement.  The 
nurse  should  have  thorough  training  in  maternity  work  and  nursing  and 
should  be  a  person  with  tact,  as  well  as  ability. 

INFANT  CLINICS  NEEDED. 

No  infant  milk  stations  or  clinics  are  provided  or  planned  under  the 
present  health  administration.  The  remarkable  saving  of  the  lives  of  more 
than  2,000  babies  in  New  York  City  in  the  past  two  years  was  largely  due 
to  the  establishment,  under  the  direction  of  the  Board  of  Health,  of  infant 
clinics,  where  mothers  can  obtain  pure  milk  at  a  low  cost.  Physicians,  in 
attendance  at  these  clinics,  advise  and  instruct  mothers  in  the  care  of  their 
children  and  in  the  preparation  of  milk  to  suit  their  babies'  needs. 

The  maintenance  of  one  or  more  such  clinics  under  the  direction  of  the 
bureau  of  health  would  be  of  incalculable  benefit  to  many  mothers  and  babies. 
The  bureau  could  ask  private  physicians  to  supply  volunteer  service,  and 
could  invite  charitable  organizations  to  co-operate  in  providing  other  neces- 
sary aid. 

FOUNDLING  HOMES  AND   DAY   NURSERIES  UNSUPERVISED. 

The  Board  of  Health  does  not  attempt  to  supervise  children  in"  foundling 
homes,  day  nurseries  or  other  institutions  for  the  dependent.  All  such  insti- 
tutions should  be  registered  by  the  bureau  of  health  and  frequently  inspected 
by  a  Board  physician  or  nurse.  Without  supervision  of  these  institutions 
abuses  are  likely  to  occur  which  seriously  impair  the  health  of  children  en- 
trusted to  their  care. 

CO-OPERATION  NEEDED. 

The  co-operation  of  all  charitable  organizations  should  be  enlisted  in 
this  program  for  child  welfare.  Through  their  contact  with  needy  persons 
and  their  families,  they  are  able  to  discover  many  Conditions  which  the  Board 
of  Health   should  remedy. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  31 


MEDICAL  INSPECTION  OF  SCHOOL  CHILDREN 

The  Department  of  School  Hygiene  is  still  in  the  transition  period;  its 
tendency,  however,  is  toward  wider  and  more  aggressive  action  in  matters 
connected  with  the  health  of  school  children.  Under  the  Board  of  Education, 
this  department  is  well  organized  and  equipped.  It  has  the  definite  policy 
and  purpose  of  giving  each  child  at  least  one  examination  each  year  and  of 
carrying  on  a  thorough  "follow-up"  campaign  into  the  homes  of  children 
who  require  treatment.  The  chief  of  the  department  thoroughly  understands 
the  problem,  and  is  well  fitted  for  the  work.  The  difficulty  he  and  his  chief 
nurse  find  is  that  the  idea  of  medical  inspection  in  schools  is  new  and  seems 
somewhat  revolutionary  to  many  conservative  citizens  of  Reading.  He  ex- 
pressed confidence  that  the  situation  would  improve  from  year  to  year  as 
the  beneficial  results  of  treatment  become  more  evident. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  PROGRAM. 

Four  physicians  and  four  nurses  are  employed,  the  nurses  giving  full 
time  and  the  physicians  part  time.  There  are  approximately  13,000  children 
in  the  public  schools  and  between  2,000  and  3,000  in  private  and  parochial 
schools.  Children  in  private  and  parochial  schools  are  not  examined  by  the 
school  physicians  and  nurses.  They  should,  however,  be  included  in  this 
work,  for  they  need  medical  inspection  just  as  much  and  just  as  often  as 
do  children  in  public  schools. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Department  of  School  Hygiene  to  give  each 
child  a  thorough  examination  each  year.  The  report  of  the  chief  medical 
inspector  for  the  school  year  1912-1913  shows  that  this  purpose  was  carried 
out.  12.857  pupils  were  examined  and  8,896,  or  69.2  per  cent.,  were  found 
to  have  defects  of  various  kinds. 

FREE  TREATMENT   PROVIDED. 

Pupils  having  defects  are  referred  to  private  physicians  if  they  are  able 
to  pay,  while  those  unable  to  pay  are  treated  at  the  school  dispensary. 
Cases  requiring  operative  treatment  are  treated  free  of  charge  at  private 
hospitals.  At  the  school  dispensary,  eyes  are  examined  and  prescriptions 
for  glasses  given  by  the  medical  examiner.  By  an  arrangement  with  a  local 
optician,  needy  children  are  supplied  with  glasses  at  cost,  or  in  certain 
cases  without  charge. 

IMPROVED    RECORDS    NEEDED    OF    CASES   THAT    HAVE    BEEN 
TREATED. 

During  the  year  1912-1913,  only  666,  or  7.5  per  cent,  of  children  having 
defects  were  reported,  after  home  visits  by  nurses,  as  having  been  treated. 
As  the  word  of  the  child  or  parent  is  accepted  as  evidence  of  treatment, 
without  re-examination  by  the  medical  inspectors,  even  this  figure  is  probably 
too  high.  Institutions  or  private  physicians  who  are  treating  children 
should  be  required  to  return  written  evidence  of  the  treatment  upon  forms 
issued  by  the  Department  of  School  Hygiene.  Only  in  this  way.  can  ac- 
curate records  of  the  treatment  of  cases  be  kept. 


32  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


The  records   of  the  school  dispensary  show  that   1,316  visits  were   made 
to  the  dispensary  by  children;  548  of  them  were  treated  for  various  ailments. 


FEW  CASES  TREATED. 

Although  5,890  cases  of  enlarged  tonsils  and  adenoids  were  discovered, 
yet  only  129,  or  2  per  cent,  were  reported  as  having  been  treated  either 
by  operation  or  otherwise.  This  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  showing,  as  the 
efficiency  of  medical  inspection  can  be  determined  only  by  its  results.  Hyper- 
trophied  tonsils  and  adenoids,  two  of  the  most  common  and  serious  defects 
among  school  children,  are  ones  in  which  the  beneficial  results  of  proper 
treatment  are  most  marked.  A  more  vigorous  following  up  of  such  cases, 
which  is  greatly  needed,  could .  be  obtained  by  greater  co-operation  with 
private  institutions.  The  establishment  of  a  special  school  clinic  where 
tonsils  and  adenoids  could  be  treated  and  operated  on  is  very  desirable,  and 
the  mental  improvement  such  treatment  would  bring  about  would  result 
in  a  distinct  saving  in  the  time  the  child  has  to  be  taught.  Such  a  clinic 
should  be  provided  with  a  few  beds  so  that  children  might  be  kept  for  at 
least  two  nights — one  night  before  the  operation  and  one  night  after  it. 
This  plan  is  followed  with  great  success  in  New  York  and  has  resulted  in 
the  treatment  of  28  per  cent,  of  those  requiring  operative  treatment.  If  it 
were  carried  out  in  Reading,  20  per  cent,  or  more,  instead  of  2  per  cent., 
of  children  needing  treatment  would  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity. 


PHYSICAL  EXAMINATION  "fOR  WORKING  PAPERS  NEEDED. 

Working  papers  are  issued  by  the  truant  officer  without  any  physical 
examination  of  the  applicant.  This  is  a  serious  defect.  The  investigator 
was  informed  by  the  chief  nurse  of  the  Department  of  Hygiene  that  she 
thought  that  many  children  were  allowed  to  go  to  work  who  were  not 
physically  fit  to  do  so.  Working  papers  should  not  be  issued  to  any  child 
unless  a  careful  physical  examination  by  the  school  medical  officer  shows 
him  to  be  in  good  condition. 

The  report  of  the  truant  officer  for  the  school  year  1912-1913,  shows  that 
1,165  employment  certificates  were  issued  to  1,568  applicants.  Of  the  423 
unsuccessful  applicants  only  30  were  refused  as  physically  disqualified  by  non- 
attendance  due  to  illness.  If  a  thorough  physical  examination  had  been 
given,  the  number  of  those  disqualified  for  physical  disability  would  doubt- 
less have  been  considerablv  increased. 


OUTDOOR  CLASSES. 

No  provision  is  made  by  the  Board  of  Education  for  outdoor  classes  for 
anemic  or  tubercular  children.  If  a  child  is  found  to  have  tuberculosis,  he  is 
promptly  excluded  from  school  and  his  chance  at  school  may  end  then  and 
there.  For  such  children  and  for  anemic  and  undeveloped  children  as  well, 
special  outdoor  classes  should  be  provided,  where  the  children  could  continue 
their  work  without  danger  to  others.  While  in  these  classes  they  should  be 
under  the  continuous  medical  supervision  of  the   Department  of  Hygiene. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  33 


PHYSICAL  EXAMINATION  FOR  GRADUATES. 

Children  graduating  from  school  and  those  leaving  school  without  asking 
for  working  papers  are  not  given  a  special  examination,,  although  it  is 
advisable  that  such  examinations  should  be  given  in  all  cases.  Each  year 
it  is  customary  to  begin  the  routine  physical  examination  with  the  children 
in  the  primary  grades  and  to  work  on  up.  The  result  is  that  the  examiners 
may  not  get  around  to  the  graduates  or  others  leaving  school,  who  may 
leave  without  having  recently  been   examined. 

Serious  physical  defects  among  children  old  enough  to  graduate  or  to 
leave  school  are  more  frequent  than  among  those  just  entering.  It  is 
recommended  that  the  entering  classes  be  examined  first  each  year,  and  then 
the  graduating  classes  and  others  about  to  leave  school.  In  this  way  the 
two  classes  most  in  need  of  examination  would  be  sure  to  get  it. 

SANITARY  SUPERVISION   OF  SCHOOLS  COMMENDABLE. 

Sanitary  supervision  of  school  buildings  is  exercised  by  the  school  physi- 
cians whenever  they  visit  school  buildings  to "  make  routine  examinations. 
Each  year  in  September,  before  the  schools  are  opened,  the  chief  medical 
inspector  visits  all  the  school  buildings  and  makes  a  thorough  sanitary  in- 
spection of  each  one.  The  results  of  this  work  are  shown  by  the  uniformly 
good  lighting,  ventilation  and  general  cleanliness  of  the  school  buildings. 

IMPROVED  DRINKING  FACILITIES  .NEEDED. 

Children  are  supplied  with  individual  drinking  cups.  Although  this  is 
a  decided  improvement  over  the  common  drinking  cups  formerly  used, 
it  is  not  a  satisfactory  arrangement,  for  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  children 
from  exchanging  cups  or  from  using  each  other's.  Fountain  cups  should  be 
installed  immediately. 

FREE  DENTAL  TREATMENT. 

Reading  was  one  of  the  first  American  cities  to  begin  this  work.  The 
Reading  Free  Dental  Dispensary,  which  was  established  in  1910,  through  the 
efforts  of  the  Reading  Dental  Society,  is  to  be  commended  for  the  efforts 
which  it  has  made  to  improve  the  health  of  school  children  by  proper  dental 
treatment.  The  first  examination  of  school  children  in  September,  1910,  for 
defects  in  teeth  revealed  the  fact  that  more  than  97  per  cent,  of  8,925  pupils 
had  imperfect  teeth.  In  the  succeeding  eighteen  months  275  pupils  were 
treated.  During  the  school  year  1912-1913,  3,148  or  24  per  cent,  of  the 
12,857  pupils  examined  by  medical  inspectors  were  found  to  have  decayed 
teeth.  Statistics  of  the  number  treated  this  year  by  the  dental  society  are 
not  yet  available.  It  would  improve  this  service  considerably  to  have  the 
dental  inspection  done  by  dentists  employed  by  the  Board  of  Education  in 
a  free  dental  dispensary  connected  with  the  school  system.  Although  no 
criticism  is  made  of  the  present  methods  of  treatment,  it  has  been  found 
in  other  cities  that  where  the  responsibility  for  dental  treatment  has  been 
placed  upon  dentists  employed  by  the  Board  of  Education,  a  greater  degree 
of  co-operation  between  dentists,  school  physicians  and  school  nurses  hns 
been  obtained. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT 


PROTECTION  OF  THE  FOOD  SUPPLY 

INCREASED  SERVICE  NEEDED. 

Only  within  the  past  four  years  has  the  protection  of  the  food  supply  been 
a  matter  of  health  service  in  Reading.  Even  at  the  present  time  the  only 
foods  supervised  in  any  way  are  meat  and  milk.  The  handling  and  sale  of 
eggs,  bake-stuffs,,  confectionery,  ice  cream,  soda  water  and  other  foods  and 
drinks  are  not  supervised  in  any  way.  Recent  investigations  by  the  writer 
of  the  egg  industry  in  other  cities  has  revealed  most  revolting  practices.  It 
is  a  common  practice  for  bakers  to  use  putrid  bacteria-contaminated  eggs. 
Although  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  has  recently  passed  an  act  prohibiting 
the  use  of  such  eggs,  no  inspection  of  the  egg  business  is  made  in  Reading. 
Bakers,  confectioners,  ice  cream  and  soda  water  manufacturers  commonly 
use  unwholesome,  adulterated  and  poisonous  material  in  the  manufacture 
of  their  products,  yet  against  such  dangers  Reading  remains  absolutely  un- 
protected. 

GOOD  RESULTS  OF  MEAT  AND  MILK  INSPECTION. 

Meat  and  milk  inspection,  for  which  the  Board  has  provided  a  veterinarian 
meat  and  milk  inspector  and  an  assistant  who  is  also  a  veterinarian,  is  being 
carried  on  with  beneficial  results.  There  are  now  382  milk-producing  dairies 
and  223  retail  dealers  in  the  city  licensed  by  the  Board  and  inspected  by  the 
Meat  and  Milk  Inspector  and  his  assistant.  As  the  producing  dairies  are 
distributed  through  the  surrounding  country  at  distances  varying  from  one  to 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  it  is  impossible  to  inspect  them  frequently,  and  the 
entire  field  cannot  be  covered  more  than  once  each  year. 

LABORATORY  FACILITIES  LACKING. 

With  proper  laboratory  facilities,  however,  the  milk  supply  could  be  pro- 
tected without  more  frequent  inspections.  At  present,  the  clerk  or  sten- 
ographer of  the  meat  and  milk  inspector's  office,  who  is  a  young  man  of 
intelligence,  but  without  previous  technical  training  or  experience,  makes  the 
chemical  analysis  of  milk.  The  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector  makes  the  bacterio- 
logical tests.  Milk  tests  are  made  only  twice  each  week,,  eight  samples  being 
taken  at  each  time.  As  no  maximum  bacterial  standard  has  been  fixed  by  the 
Board,  nothing  is  gained  by  bacterial  analysis,  except  that  evidence  is  obtained 
that  uncleanly,  bacteria-contaminated  milk,  which  is  a  menace  to  health 
and  the  most  common  cause  of  sickness  and  death  among  infants,  is  being 
sold  in  the  city.  No  prosecutions  have  been  brought  although  the  analyses 
of  milk  commonly  sold  to  Reading  citizens  show  constant  and  dangerous 
bacterial  contamination.  Analyses  showing  contamination  of  milk  of  over 
i,,ooo,ooo  bacteria  per  cubic  centimeter  (a  cubic  centimeter  equals  a  drop)  are 
common.  It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  efforts  of  the  Meat  and  Milk 
Inspector  have  produced  considerable  improvement.  Tn  1911  the  average 
bacterial  count  was  9,382,809  per  cubic  centimeter;  in  1912  it  had  fallen  to 
511,634  per  cubic  centimeter. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  35 


IMPROVEMENT  IN   DAIRIES  SHOWN. 

The  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector  has  devised  a  form  upon  which  the  sani- 
tary conditions  of  dairies  are  noted  at  the  time  of  inspection.  These  forms 
give  a  very  satisfactory  statement  of  conditions.  The  records  show  that  the 
situation  is  improving. 

PROSECUTIONS  FOR  ADULTERATION   OF  MILK. 

The  State  law  fixing  a  standard  for  the  chemical  constituents  of  milk 
is  enforced  to  some  extent  in  Reading.  From  November  13,  191 1,  to  Novem- 
ber 8,  1913,  there  were  ten  prosecutions  for  adulterating  milk  by  watering  it. 
Seven  of  these  offenders  were  fined  $25.00  and  three  $10.00  each.  The  analysis 
of  only  sixteen  samples  a  week  cannot,  however,,  go  far  in  detecting  adultera- 
tions. As  the  apparatus  used  for  making  the  chemical  test  of  milk  holds  only 
eight  samples,  only  eight  are  collected  at  one  time.  As  the  clerk  and  sten- 
ographer is  required  to  take  and  analyze  milk  samples,  and  to  keep  the  meat 
and  milk  inspector's  office  open,  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  make  analyses 
more  often  than  he  does.  If,  however,  he  were  provided  with  apparatus 
holding  thirty-six  samples  instead  of  eight,  his  efficiency  would  be  increased 
more  than  four  times.  The  work  required  to  analyze  thirty-six  samples  is 
little  more  than  that  required  for  eight  samples. 

MILK  STANDARDS  NEEDED. 

Milk  standards  should  be  established  at  once.  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Park,  Director 
el"  the  Research  Laboratories  of  the  New  York  Department  of  Health,  states 
that  any  intelligent  farmer  can  use  sufficient  cleanliness  and  apply  sufficient 
cold  to  supply  milk  24  to  36  hours  old,  which  will  not  contain  at  the  maximum 
over  50,000  to  100,000  bacteria  per  cubic  centimeter,  and  that  milk  with  a 
higher  bacterial  count  should  not  be  used.  A  regulation  or  ordinance  pre- 
scribing- certain  milk  standards,  and  providing  for  the  grading  and  labeling 
of  milk  according  to  the  conditions  under  which  it  was  produced  is  the  next 
step  that  must  be  taken  in  the  program  for  health.  The  shutting  off  of 
dangerously  contaminated  supply,  the  destruction  of  milk  found  below  the 
standard,  and  the  prosecution  of  all  persons  who  break  the  law,  will  result 
in  saving  hundreds  of  lives  yearly. 

RECORDS   OF   MEAT   INSPECTIONS   INADEQUATE. 

Meat  inspection  is  required  for  312  meat  dealers  in  Reading.  This  work 
is  clone  by  the  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector  who  endeavors  to  visit  each  store 
at  least  once  during  the  year.  A  license  must  be  obtained  by  every  meat 
dealer.  Small  country  slaughter  houses  where  only  a  few  cattle  are  killed, 
arc  not  supervised  except  by  the  Assistant  Milk  Inspector  when  on  his  round 
over  the  dairy  farms.  The  five  abattoirs  in  Reading  are  inspected  by  the 
Meat  and  Milk  Inspector  several  times  each  week,  but  no  detailed  record 
is  kept  of  these  visits.  As  the  record  of  the  service  does  not  show  what 
conditions  were  found,  the  only  basis  for  judgment  of  the  work  of  meat  and 
milk  inspectors  is  the  inspectors'  records  of  condemnations.  During  1912, 
87.721    pounds   of   meat   were    reported   as   destroyed.     In   each    case   of   con- 


36 HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

demnation  the  inspector  reports  only  the  number  of  pounds  condemned.  In 
order  to  give  a  better  record  of  this  important  service,  he  should  make  a 
detailed  report  of  the  cause  of  condemnation,,  the  method  of  disposal  and 
the  amount  condemned.  Such  a  record  was  formerly  kept,  but  of  late  has 
•been  discontinued. 

That  the  meat  inspection  has  given  some  protection  to  Reading  citizens, 
is  probable,  but  without  adequate  records  of  work  done,  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  the  efficiency  of  service.  The  evident  intelligence  and  technical 
ability  of  the  inspector,  however,  indicate  that  defects  which  exist  in  the 
service  are  due  to  lack  of  resources  rather  than  to  lack  of  purpose.  The 
inspector  has  a  definite  plan,  which  he  is  endeavoring  to  carry  out  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  though  hampered  greatly  by  lack  of  laboratory  facilities. 

IMPROVED  ORGANIZATION  FOR  TPIE  INSPECTION  OF  FOOD. 

A  staff  charged  with  the  inspection  of  food  should  be  organized  under 
the  direction  of  the  present  Meat  and  Milk  Inspector.  This  staff  should 
consist  of  a  meat  inspector,  who  should  be  a  veterinarian,  a  milk  inspector, 
preferably  a  veterinarian,  and  an  inspector  of  other  foods.  The  present 
assistant  meat  and  milk  inspector,  who  is  capable  and  competent,  and  has 
recently  graduated  from  a  veterinary  school,  should  be  continued  as  milk 
inspector.  The  inspector  of  other  foods  need  not  be  a  technical  expert,  but, 
to  be  an  efficient  food  inspector,  he  certainly  must  have  intelligence  and 
the  power  of  exercising  hrs  intelligence  aggressively.  He  need  not  be  a 
butcher,  a  baker  or  a  grocer,,  and  indeed,  an  inspector  who  is  not  himself 
a  tradesman  has  the  advantage  of  being  free  from  previously  acquired  preju- 
dices or  friendships. 

MUNICIPAL  MARKETS  NEEDED. 

Reading  has  five  public  markets  which  are  owned  by  private  dealers 
and  are  only  nominally  under  the  supervision  of  the  Commissioner  of  Mar- 
kets. City  ownership  and  supervision  of  public  markets  would  greatly  im- 
prove this  service.  It  has  also  been  found  in  other  cities  that  such  markets 
can  be  conducted  at  a  profit  to  the  city  and  to  the  consumer. 

European  cities  have  found  that  the  maintenance  of  municipal  abattoirs 
result  in  improvement  in  the  meat  supply  and  in  the  supervision  of  slaughter- 
ing. Instead  of  a  number  of  small  unsanitary  slaughter  houses,  Reading 
should  have  one  clean,  thoroughly  supervised  plant  under  municipal  control. 


ENFORCEMENT  OF  THE  PURE  FOOD  AND  DRUG  ACT. 

With  the  present  organization  for  health  service,  local  enforcement  of 
the  United  States  Pure  Food  and  Drug  Act  is  impossible.  It  is  recommended 
that  the  provisions  of  this  act  which  are  applicable  to  Reading  be  incorpo- 
rated in  the  revised  sanitary  code.  Future  ordinances  for  regulation  of  the 
handling  and  sale  of  foods  and  drugs  should  follow  the  standards  set  up 
by  the  federal  government,  but  the  responsibility  for  the  enforcement  of 
regulations  should  rest  with  the  local  health  authorities. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  37 


INDUSTRIAL  DISEASES  AND  THE  EXAMINATION 
OF  EMPLOYEES 

INFORMATION  LACKING  ABOUT  INDUSTRIAL  DISEASES. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Reading  is  an  industrial  center,  the  Board  has 
made  no  effort  to  obtain  information  about  .industrial  diseases.  The  State 
Health  Department  requires  physicians  to  report  industrial  diseases  to  it. 
The  City  Health  Department  should  also  require  that  industrial  and  occu- 
pational diseases  shall  be  reported  to  it,  for  it  cannot  control  the  local 
situation  unless  it  knows  where  such  diseases  occur  and  investigates  the 
conditions  that  tend  to  produce  them. 

PHYSICAL  EXAMINATION  FOR  WORKERS. 

Physical  examination  of  employees  in  occupations  which  may  closely 
affect  the  health  of  an  individual  or  of  the  public,  should  be  required.  Em- 
ployees in  bakeries,  for  instance,  should  be  examined  periodically.  It  not 
infrequently  happens  that  an  employee  suffering  from  tuberculosis  or  some 
other  contagious  disease  is  employed  in  the  manufacture  or  handling  of  food 
products.  Such  persons  should  be  barred  from  this  kind  of  work.  The  de- 
partment should  try  to  obtain  the  co-operation  of  employers  in  raising  the 
standard  of  health  among  laboring  men.  Trade  unions  and  fraternal  organi- 
zations are  glad  to  co-operate  in  any  effort  to  reduce  sickness  and  death 
among  their  members. 

PHYSICAL  EXAMINATIONS  FOR  CITY  EMPLOYEES. 

Good  health  should  be  one  of  the  qualifications  for  employment  in  the 
city  service.  No  physical  examinations  for  city  employees  are  now  made. 
This  work  should  be  begun  immediately  by  the  physicians  of  the  Health 
Department. 

RECORDING  OF  VITAL  STATISTICS 

Under  the  present  law  ten  days  is  allowed  for  reporting  births.  As  a 
result,  physicians  and  midwives  delay  registration.  The  registrar  states  that 
frequently  physicians  do  not  report  within  the  required  time.  The  law  is 
liberal — too  liberal — which  is  all  the  more  reason  why  it  should  be  promptly 
enforced.  In  order  to  control  the  practice  of  physicians  and  midwives,  and 
to  carry  on  the  campaign  for  the  reduction  of  infant  mortality  the  health 
officials  must  know  immediately  where  births  occur,  by  whom  they  were 
attended,  and  all  other  facts  necessary  for  the  investigation  of  still  births 
and  premature  births. 

BIRTH  RETURNS  NOT  CHECKED. 

No  attempt  is  made  to  check  birth  returns  by  baptismal  records.  Lack  of 
proper  birth  records  frequently  results  in  great  inconvenience  to  the  in- 
dividual in  later  years.  That  every  possible  effort  should  be  made  to  see  that 
birth  records  are  complete  and  accurate  goes  without  saying. 


38  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

DEATH    RECORDS  UNSATISFACTORY. 

The  death  records  arc  very  unsatisfactory.  Physicians  in  Reading  do  not 
report  deaths  according  to  the  international  list  of  the  causes  of  death,  which 
is  the  basis  for  all  proper  registration  of  deaths,  and  the  Board  of  Health 
does  not  insist  that  the  records  be  corrected  to  conform  to  it.  The  annual 
report  for  1912  furnishes  frequent  illustrations  of  improper  reporting.  "In- 
anition," "marasmus,"  "paralysis,"  "acute  indigestion"  and  many  other  causes 
of  death  that  cannot  be  classified  according  to  the  international  list  are 
given  in  the  annual  report.  For  statistical  purposes  such  records  are  of 
little  value.  The  board  should  return  for  correction  death  records  not 
properly  filled  out,,  and  should  see  that  in  all  cases  the  returns  conform  to  the, 
international  list. 

DEATHS   FROM    D1ARRHOEAL   DISEASES   NOT  TABULATED. 

No  tabulation  of  deaths  from  diarrhoea!  diseases  has  been  made,  although 
infant'  mortality  from  these  diseases  furnishes  a  very  important  index  of 
the  efficiency  of  the  Board  of  Health.  .  The  aim  of  an  efficient  Board  of 
Health  is  to  lower  the  rate  of  infant  mortality,  and  the  lirst  step  in  doing  it 
is  by  closely  watching  the  deaths  from  diarrhoeal  diseases,  which  usually 
indicate  that  the  children  are  not  being  properly  fed.  Tabulations  of 
mortality  at  the  age  of  three  months,  six  months,  one  year,  two  years,  live 
years,  should  be  begun  with  special  tabulations  of  those  dying  from  diarrhoea 
and  enteritis. 

DEATH  RATE  INCORRECTLY  CALCULATED. 

In  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Health  for  1912,  Reading's  death  rate  i& 
incorrectly  stated  as  13.22  per  1,000.  This  rate  has  been  obtained  by  de- 
ducting 99  still  births  and  93  premature  births  from  the  total  number  of 
deaths,,  wdiich  was  1,507.  This  gives  an  incorrect  total  death  record  of  1,315. 
The  proper  practice,  however,  is  to  deduct  only  still  births  from  the  total. 
The  death  rate,  calculated  by  the  actual  number  of  deaths,  exclusive  of  still 
births,  or  1,406.  is  T4.  r6  per  T,ooo.  While  this  is  not  an  abnormally  high 
death  rate,  it  is  higher  than  it  should  be  in  a  city  with  Reading's  natural 
advantages. 

There  are  other  errors  in  the  T912  report  in  the  calculation  of  numbers 
of  deaths  and  death  rates.  All  rates  should  be  calculated  as  exclusive  of 
still  births,  and  the  practice  of  the  Census  Bureau  should  be  followed  in 
making  tabulations. 

• 
DEATH  RETURNS  UNCHECKED. 

The  Board  does  not  check  the  death  records  by  returns  from  cemeteries 
as  to  the  interment  of  bodies.  As  an  additional  check  upon  the  reporting 
of  deaths  this  is  an  extremely  valuable  practice,  which  the  Reading  health 
authorities  should  adopt. 

LACK  OF  STUDY   OF  VITAL  STATISTICS. 

No   calculation   has   been    made    of   the   number   of   deaths    n\    non-residents. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  39 

the  number  of  deaths  in  hospitals  and  institutions,  the  number  among  those 
dependent  upon  the  eity,  or  among  different  nationalities,  trades  and  occupa- 
tions, etc.  All  these  facts  are  needed  for  proper  control  of  the  health  of  the 
city.  • 

CARE  OF  THE  SICK  AND  INJURED  IN  HOSPITALS 

CITY   HOSPITALS  NEEDED. 

The  lack  of  a  city  hospital  deserves  the  very  serious  consideration  of  all 
Reading's  citizens.  The  alarming  and  increasing  prevalence  of  transmissible 
diseases  is  directly  due  to  the  lack  of  a  public  hospital,  where  such 
diseases,  not  otherwise  controlable,  may  be  properly  cared  for.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  vital  of  Reading's  health  needs.  A  general  hospital  with  a 
special  isolation  ward  or  pavilion  for  the  care  and  treatment  of  contagious 
diseases,  tuberculosis  and  venereal  diseases  is  needed  now  more  than  ever 
before,  and  the  reorganized  Bureau  of  Health  should  provide  at  once  for  this 
n^vd. 

CARE  OF  SMALLPOX. 

The  building  at  present  used  for  the  isolation  of  smallpox  cases  is  a  relic 
of  the  past  and  should  be  abandoned  or  improved.  Since  the  degree  of 
isolation  needed  for  smallpox  is  not  greater  than  that  needed  for  many 
other  contagious  diseases,,  the  simple  isolation  of  smallpox  patients  in  a 
hospital  ward  or  pavilion  would  be  more  effective  and  more  economical  than 
the  present  practice  of  removing  smallpox  patients  to  a  distant  and  improperly 
equipped  building. 

LABORATORY  RESEARCH 

LABORATORY  CONTROL  OF  TRANSMISSIBLE  DISEASES. 

The  importance  of  the  laboratory  in  the  control  of  transmissible  diseases 
can  hardly  be  overestimated,  and  yet  Reading  has  made  no  effort  to  supply 
this  service.  A  city  laboratory  facilitates  the  registration  of  disease  by 
promptly  making  laboratory  examinations  for  physicians  of  blood  from 
typhoid  fever  patients,  sputum  from  tubercular  patients,  diphtheria  cultures 
and  other  bacteriological  and  pathological  specimens.  At  present  physicians 
are  obliged  to  send  all  specimens  to  the  State  Health  Department  for 
analysis,  and  the  consequent  inconvenience  and  delay  greatly  modifies  the 
value  of  the  service.  Reading  needs  a  Health  Laboratory  to  assist  its 
physicians  and  the  department  in  control  of  transmissible  diseases. 

FOOD   LABORATORY   NEEDED. 

For  properly  controlling  and  protecting  the  food  supply  by  the  bacterio- 
logical examination  of  milk  and  the  chemical  examination  of  milk  and  other 
foods   for   adulterants,   laboratory   service   is   a   vital   necessity.     A   beginning 


40  HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


has  been  made  by  the  meat  and  milk  inspector.  Contamination  of  foods 
other  than  meat  and  milk  is,  however,  common,  and  the  citizens  of  Reading 
have  the  right  to  be  fully  protected  against  adulterations  of  all  kinds.  For 
this  combined  service  in  bacteriological  and  chemical  analysis,  a  bacteriologist 
and  food  chemist  is  needed.  The  cost  of  his  work  is  of  little  importance 
compared  to  the  health  protection  which  he  could  give. 


ANALYSIS  OF  PRIVATE  WATER  SUPPLY. 

Many  homes  in  Reading  get  their  water  supply  from  springs  or  wells 
which  have  never  been  inspected  by  the  department.  The  Health  Depart- 
ment should  analyze  this  private  water  supply  at  once  as  the  prevalence  of 
typhoid  fever  in  the  city  may  very  possibly  be  partly  due  to  the  contamina- 
tion of  water  from  these  sources. 


THE   MUNICIPAL  LABORATORY. 

In  the  prevention  of  communicable  diseases,,  a  great  deal  of  bacterio- 
logical and  chemical  work  is  necessary.  Blood,  sputum,  diphtheria  cultures 
and  other  specimens  must  be  examined.  Water  must  be  analyzed  not  only 
for  the  health  authorities  but  also  for  the  bureau  of  water  supply;  sewage 
must  be  examined  to  determine  the  effectiveness  of  sewage  disposal  methods; 
milk  and  other  foods  must  be  examined  to  determine  their  fitness  for  human 
consumption. 

In  addition  to  the  bacteriological  and  chemical  examinations  required 
for  the  prevention  and  control  of  disease,  the  municipal  laboratory  would 
be  of  the  greatest  possible  service  in  the  analysis  of  materials  purchased 
by  the  city  in  order  that  the  city  may  be  secure  against  any  substitution  or 
inferiority  of  materials  purchased. 


SANITATION 

SANITARY  CODE  NEEDED. 

The  council  should  at  once  take  steps- to  revise,  bring  up  to  date  and 
codify  all  health  regulations.  A  sanitary  code  is  needed  which  will  define, 
in  accordance  with  State  laws,  just  what  measures  are  to  be  enforced  and 
the  manner  of  their  enforcement.  Many  State  laws  which  have  been  enacted 
for  the  protection  of  the  health  of  the  public  have  had  but  little  effect 
because  the  health  authorities  did  not  apply  them  to  the  local  conditions. 
The  proper  revision  and  codifying  of  existing  laws  and  regulations  will  be 
of  great  benefit  to  the  new  council  in  exercising  their  exceedingly  broad 
powers  in.  making  and  enforcing  public  health  measures. 

Such  a  code  would  be  of  value  to  the  health  officials  themselves  and 
would  also  be  of  use  to  citizens  as  a  manual  of  information.  At  the  present 
time  there  is  merely  a  small  book  of  rules  and  regulations  outlining  a  few 
of  the  health  laws   under  which  the  board  operates. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  4' 

SANITARY  SUPERVISION  NEGLIGIBLE. 

Sanitary  supervision  in  Reading  has  practically  no  influence  upon  the 
public  health,  for  it  is  limited  to  the  investigating  of  complaints  of  nuisances 
and  the  inspecting  of  plumbing — neither  of  which  has  any  considerable 
influence  upon  the  health  of  the  community.  Aside  from  the  sanitary  super- 
vision exerted  over  meat  markets  and  dairies  in  the  very  limited  way 
described  in  another  section  of  this  report,  there  is  no  sanitary  service 
performed  by  the  Reading  Board  of  Health  which  can  be  favorably  com- 
mended upon. 

COMPLAINTS   INEFFICIENTLY   HANDLED. 

Complaints  are  very  badly  handled.  When  a  complaint  is  received  by 
telephone  or  in  writing  no  permanent  record  is  made  of  it.  A  memorandum 
made  on  a  slip  of  paper  is  stuck  on  a  pin  tile  on  the  Health  Commissioner's 
desk.  Nowhere  is  there  a  complete  record  of  any  complaint  showing  the 
nature  of  the  complaint,  the  location  of  the  nuisance.,  the  action  taken  by 
the  department  and  the  date  when  the  action  was  completed.  A  proper 
register  of  complaints  giving  all  facts  and  dates  of  the  action  taken  by  the 
department   should  be   kept   in   a   permanent   hie. 

Anonymous  complaints  are  not  investigated  except  in  the  occasional  in- 
stances when  the  matter  seems  to  be  one  of  considerable  importance — and 
the  commissioner  decides  what  is  important.  This  is  a  serious  fault.  For 
obvious  reasons  a  tenant  might  be  reluctant  to  make  a  signed  complaint 
against  his  landlord  even  if  a  real  and  serious  nuisance  were  at  his  very 
door.  All  complaints  should  be  investigated  for  citizens  are  most  easily 
induced  to  cooperate  by  the  prompt  abatement  of  the  nuisance  that  annoy 
them. 

RECORD  PROVES  INEFFICIENCY. 

One  week's  record  of  the  work  of  the  Commissioner  and  his  assistant  in 
the  investigation  of  nuisances  shows  clearly  how  futile  such  inspection  is. 
The  report  of  these  officers  for  the  week  November  5,  1913,  to  November 
10,   tot 3.  is   here   reproduced. 


4a 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 


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1047    Buttonwood     

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1 150    Elm    St 

817    Pear    St 

516  7th  St. — Leaky  privy 

517  Strong  Alley — Privy  water 
in  cellar 

U48  Elm   St. — Leaky  privy.... 

1146    "Elm    St. — Privy    water    in 

cellar    

819  Pear  St. — Defective  privy. . 
825  Pear  St. — Defective  privy  . 
3245    16th   St. — Leaky  privy.... 
642    Eisenbrown    St.  —  Clogged 
drain    

Even  if  the  facts  had  been  properly  entered  the  record  would  be  worth 
little  in  determining  the  value  of  this  service,  but  this  record  carelessly  made, 
and  giving  no  information  about  the  method  of  the  abatement  of  the  nuisance 
or  about  any  reinspection  to  ensure  compliance  with  the  inspections  orders 
is  worthless. 

ENFORCEMENT  OF  LAW  NEEDED. 

The  City  of  Reading  has  power  to  compel  the  abandonment  of  privies  and 
cesspools.  Rule  66  of  the  rules  and  regulations  for  the  construction  of 
plumbing,  house  drainage  and  cesspools,  compiled  in  accordance  with  the 
act  of  assembly  of  May  14,  1909,  and  in  effect  after  June  1,  1912,  provides 
that  "it  shall  not  be  lawful  to  continue  a  privy  vault  or  cesspool  on  any  lot, 
piece  or  parcel  of  ground  abutting  on  or  contiguous  to  any  public  sewer 
within  the  city  limits.  The  Board  of  Health  shall  have  power  to  issue  notice 
giving  at  least  three  months  time  to  discontinue  the  use  of  any  cesspool 
and  have  it  cleaned  and  filled  up." 

In  spite  of  the  power  thus  given  it,  the  Board  of  Health  has  made  no 
effort  beyond  the  futile  inspection  previously  noted  to  abate  the  nuisances 
arising  from  privy  vaults  and  cesspools.  No  systematic  survey  of  such  con- 
ditions has  been  attempted. 


NEED  FOR  THOROUGH  SURVEY  OF  SANITARY  CONDITIONS. 

A  thorough  survey  of  the  entire  city  should  at  once  be  made  to  determine 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT.  43 

to  what  extent  the  privy  and  cesspool  nuisance  may  be  abated,  and  prompt 
steps  should  be  taken  at  once  to  compel  owners  to  connect  dwellings  with 
the  sanitary  sewer  wherever  possible.  Similar  action  was  taken  by  the  City 
of  Dayton  after  the  flood  this  year.  In  spite  of  the  delays  and  barriers 
from  the  conditions  caused  by  the  flood,  the  plumbing  inspector,  by  aggressive 
action,  forced  the  abandonment  of  practically  all  privies  on  property 
accessible  to  sewers.  The  result  on  the  health  of  its  citizens  and  the  appear- 
ance of  the  city  has  been  extremely  beneficial. 

PLUMBING  INSPECTION  IS  MADE  A  HEALTH  FUNCTION 
BY  LAW. 

Plumbing  inspection  is  made  a  function  of  the  Health  Board  by  the  act  of 
Assembly  of  1909.  This  act  also  fixes  the  conditions  for  the  appointment  of 
plumbers  and  the  installation  of  plumbing  and  provides  for  fhe  various 
inspections  that  are  to  be  made.  It  is  a  well  established  fact  that  plumbing 
inspection,  apart  from  the  abatement  of  privy  nuisances,  has  no  particular 
bearing  upon  health.  Leaky  water  connections,  for  instance,  are  not  nearly 
so  harmful  to  the  health  of  the  community  as  leaky  gas  pipes  or  smoking 
chimneys.  In  Reading,  however,  inspection  of  plumbing  is  unquestionably 
regarded  as  a  very  vital  part  of  the  department's  work. 

DANGEROUS   NUISANCES  UNABATED. 

Promiscuous  spitting,  prohibited  by  the  State  and  the  city,  is  not  con- 
sidered a  matter  to  be  controlled  by  the  Health  Department.  The  enforce- 
ment of  the  anti-spitting  ordinance  is  charged  upon  the  Police  Department. 

No  ordinances  have  been  provided  prohibiting  the  use  of  common  drinking 
cups  and  common  towels,  although  these  nuisances  have  long  been  known  to 
be  dangerous  factors  in  the  spread  of  disease.  Ordinances  or  rules  of  the 
Board  should  at  once  be  passed  prohibiting  the  use  of  common  drinking 
cups  and  roller  towels  in  all  public  places,  and  the  Department  of  Health 
should  enforce  these  ordinances  or  rules. 

UNSANITARY  CONDITIONS  NUMEROUS. 

No  attempt  is  made  to  inspect  sanitary  conditions  in  tenement  houses, 
lodging  houses  and  hotels,  barber  shops,  bakeries,  food  stores,  cigar  factories 
(of  which  there  are  many  in  Reading)  and  other  factories,  breweries,  moving 
picture  theatres,  assembly  halls  and  the  countless  other  businesses  or  estab- 
lishments which,  even  in  cities  where  supervision  over  matters  affecting 
health  is  of  a  high  order,  require  frequent  inspection.  The  danger  resulting 
from  unsanitary  conditions  in  these  places  are  not  imaginary.  Unsanitary 
practices  in  barber  shops  are  frequently  the  cause  of  serious.,  sometimes  fatal 
disease,  and  instances  of  the  transmission  of  veneral  diseases  in  this  way  are 
not  rare.  The  conditions  which  have  been  revealed  by  thorough  field  studies 
of  bakeries  and  other  food  manufacturing  places  in  other  cities  have  been 
startling.  Moving  picture  theatres  need  thorough  supervision,  for  it  is  in 
such  closely  crowded  assembly  halls  as  these  that  contagious  diseases  are 
frequently  spread.     The  investigation  of  cigar  factories   in   other   States   and 


44 HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

cities  has  also  revealed  many  undesirable  conditions  and  practices  dangerous 
alike  to  the  citizen  and  the  worker. 

Provision  of  sanitary  inspection  for  all  such  establishments  is  a  pressing 
need.  Barber  shops  should  be  allowed  to  operate  only  upon  the  certificate 
of  the  Health  Board  after  inspection  by  one  of  the  sanitary  inspectors. 
Bakeries  should  be  required  to  operate  under  a  similar  license  and  all  other 
businesses  in  which  defective  sanitary  conditions  may  result  in  disease  or 
in  impairment  of  health,  should  be  required  to  obtain  the  approval  of  the 
Health  Bureau  through  its  inspectors.  For  the  control  of  such  businesses 
the  council  should  pass  regulations  based  upon  measures  which  have  been 
found  effective  in  other  cities. 

SMOKE  NUISANCE  ABATED. 

Reading,  in  common  with  other  manufacturing  cities,  suffers  from  the 
smoke  nuisance.  The  research  of  the  Mellon  Institute  of  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh  "has  demonstrated  clearly  the  deleterious  effects  of  smoke  upon 
the  health  of  citizens.  A  smoke  ordinance  designed  to  prevent  such  nuisance 
is  now  in  force  in  Reading,  but  as  no  inspector  has  been  provided  no  results 
can  be  obtained.  The  City  of  Reading  should  employ  a  smoke  inspectior 
under  the  direction  of  the  Health  Bureau.  He  should  have  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  methods  of  smoke  prevention  and  practical  experience  in 
the  operation  of  furnaces  and  boilers.  It  should  be  his  business  to  visit 
manufacturing  plants  and  apply  test  to  determine  whether  the  smoke 
nuisance  exists,  to  use  proper  means  to  abate  the  nuisance  by  instructing 
employees  and  conferring  with  owners  of  plants,  and,  when  his  efforts  to 
abate  the  nuisance  are  unavailing,  to  institute  proceedings  against  the 
owners.  For  prosecution  of  violators  of  the  law  concerning  the  smoke 
nuisance,  complete  and  detailed  records  of  tests  should  be  available. 

"CLEAN-UP"   DAYS. 

Annual  "clean-up"  days,  established  by  the  mayor,  should  be  continued 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Board  of  Health,  aided  by  the  Police  and  Fire 
Bureaus.  In  this  way  the  entire  city  gets  a  thorough  overhauling  at  least 
once  a  year.  Publicity  of  the  right  kind  should  secure  the  cooperation  of 
the  citizens.  In  this  way  many  of  the  nuisances  which  now  require  frequent 
and  costly  inspection  could  be  removed  in  one  day. 

FIELD  SURVEY  NEEDED. 

The  study  upon  which  this  report  is  based  has  touched  chiefly  upon  the 
administrative  side  of  health  service.  The  time  allotted  for  the  study  has 
not  permitted  an  extensive  survey  of  field  conditions  in  food  trades,  housing 
and  sanitation,  work  of  charities  organizations,  hospital  facilities  and  many 
other  important  factors  in  health  control.  It  is  recommended  that  following 
the  establishment  of  a  Bureau  of  Health  competent  to  carry  out  the  pro- 
gram outlined  in  this  report,  a  general  survey  of  the  kind  described  above 
be  made  under  the  auspices  of  the  Bureau  of  Health  and  with  the  coopera- 
tion of  city  departments,  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  all  other  civic  and 
social   organizations. 


HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 45 

The  present  bathing  facilities  along  the  river  front  are  to  be  commended; 
their  extension  should  be  encouraged.  They  should  be  rendered  available 
to  both  sexes. 

PUBLICITY 

IMPROVED   ANNUAL   REPORT    RECOMMENDED. 

The  annual  report  for  1912  contains  considerable  statistical  information 
which,  however,  is  of  doubtful  value  to  citizens  in  general.  Many  of  the 
statistical  tables  such  as  those  showing  the  number  of  male  and  female  births 
by  months  and  by  wards  should  be  included  in  other  tables  and  the  space 
saved.  Graphic  charts  showing  diseases  and  deaths  according  to  causes, 
seasonal  conditions,  ages,  wards,  etc.,  are  much  more  readily  interpreted 
than  tables  of  figures. 

The  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Health  shows  commendable  activity 
in  the  remedying  of  nuisances  arising  from  privies,  cow  stables  and  drains, 
but  gives  no  information  regarding  general  sanitary  conditions  in  the  city 
which  might  be  valuable  to  citizens  interested  in  health  protection. 

The  inclusion  of  several  pages  of  meteorological  observations  in  the 
annual  report  is  of  no  particular  interest  to  any  one  unless  the  temperature, 
rainfall,  wind  and  atmospheric  records  are  charted  to  show  any  possible 
influence  which  they  may  have  had  upon  mortality  or  the  prevalence  of  disease. 
Tables  showing  these  facts  combined  with  the*  disease  and  death  records 
might  be  of  considerable  interest  to  health  officials  and  to  citizens  in  general. 

LACK  OF  EDUCATIVE  NEWSPAPER  PUBLICITY. 

The  daily  newspapers  with  which  Reading  citizens  are  abundantly  supplied 
furnish  the  very  best  means  for  circulating  information  on  matters  of  health. 
Reports  of  Board  proceedings  and  statistical  tables  of  diseases  and  mortality 
furnished  to  newspapers  must  be  supplemented  by  articles  pointing  out 
effective  ways  of  avoiding  disease  and  ill  health.  Readable  and  timely 
articles  adapted  to  local  conditions  should  be  prepared  by  the  health  officer. 
Nothing  is  to  be  gained  and  much  may  be  lost  in  effective  health  control  by 
the  mistaken  policy  of  concealing  facts  concerning  public  health.  Publicity 
is  the  first  step  toward  cure  and  to  no  branch  of  city  service  is  this  truth 
more   applicable   than  to   health   service. 

CONFERENCES,.  LECTURES,  EXHIBITS,  ETC. 

Conferences  between  health  and  school  and  other  city  authorities  should 
be  held  from  time  to  time  to  determine  the  most  effective  methods  of 
dealing  with  common  problems  relating  to  health.  Lectures  by  the  health 
officers  or  members  of  his  staff  upon  general  and  special  health  topics  are 
extremely  valuable.  Fraternal  and  trade  organizations,  civic  and  charity 
organizations  need  only  to  become  acquainted  with  the  facts  about  public 
health  in  order  to  become  aids  in  securing  it.  Occasional  exhibits  of 
methods  of  preventing  disease,  of  pure  and  adulterated  foods,  of  children's 
needs,  etc..  in  which  conditions  bearing  upon  health  are  graphically  shown, 
stimulate   interest   and   cooperation  among  citizens. 


46 HEALTH  DEPARTMENT. 

MONTHLY  AND  WEEKLY  BULLETINS. 

The  publication  for  general  distribution  of  monthly  or  weekly  bulletins 
giving  a  brief  review  of  the  work  of  the  department  and  timely  facts  re- 
garding local  conditions  of  health  are  of  much  more  value  than  the  annual 
report  which  covers  a  period  long  past.  The  real  service  of  publicity  in 
matters  of  health  is  certainly  to  meet  present  and  future  needs  rather  than 
to  comment  on  what  has  long  since  proved  to  be  beyond  the  control  of  city 
authorities  or  citizens. 


Weilers  Printing  House   (^^^  440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  TWO 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Markets 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 

i 

10  CENTS 


CONTENTS 


Page 
Summary    of    Criticisms    and    Constructive    Suggestions,    all    of    Which 

May  be  Immediately  Adopted  by  Council  51-52 

Administration    53 

Personnel    54 

Revenue 56 

Licenses    56 

Sealing  of  Weights  and  Measures  57 

New  Ordinance  Required   58 

Records  and  Reports   59 

Provision  of  Buildings  60 

Annual   Report    60 


MARKETS  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  51 


DEPARTMENT  OF  MARKETS 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 

SUGGESTIONS,  ALL  OF  WHICH  MAY  BE 

IMMEDIATELY  ADOPTED  BY  COUNCIL 

ADMINISTRATION. 

The  Department  of  Markets  should  be  abolished.  All  of  its  functions 
except  the  inspection  and  regulation  of  weights  and  measures  should  be 
transferred  to  the  Department  of  Health. 

A  bureau  of  weights  and  measures,,  headed  by  a  sealer  of  weights  and 
measures,  under  the  direction  of  the  Mayor,  should  be  established  at  once.* 

PERSONNEL. 

The  selection  of  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  should  be  based 
on  a  competitive  examination  of  candidates  for  the  position.  It  is  essential 
that  the  sealer  be  an  active  and  aggressive  employee  physically  fitted  for  the 
position  and  possessed  of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law  with  technical 
experience  of  weights  and  measures.  An  increase  of  salary  for  the  sealer  is 
recommended.  If  inspection  was  made  all  the  year  around,  the  sealer  could 
perform  his  duties  without  assistance. 

REVENUE. 

All  inspections  should  be  made  without  cost  to  the  dealer.  The  abolition 
of  the  present  fee  system  for  original  sealing  is  recommended. 

LICENSES. 

As  an  aid  to  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,  all  business  places 
using  weights  and  measures  should  be  required  by  ordinance  to  take  out 
a  license;  this  license  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  regulation  and  not  for  revenue. 

SEALING  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 

Considerable  time  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  is  now  given  to  the 
regulation  and  adjustment  of  scales  and  weights.  It  is  recommended  that 
the  practice  of  regulating  and  adjusting  scales  and  weights  be  stopped  and 
that  the  sealer  devote  his  entire  time  to  inspection  acL  detective  work. 

The  department  at  present  makes  no  provision  for  inaccuracies  due  to 
changes  in  temperature  and  uses  of  scales,  weights  and  measures. 


*  An  ordinance  providing  for  the  appointment  of  a*,  inspector  was  adopted 
by  Council,  December  24. 


MARKETS  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


It  Js  recommended  that  the  schedule  of  tolerances  of  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  Standards  be  adopted  by  the  sealer. 

The  present  commissioner  does  not  make  any  Saturday  night  inspections. 
Because  of  the  unusually  crowded  conditions  of  the  market  places  Saturday 
nights  it  is  desirable  that  inspections  be  made  then. 

Platform  scales  for  weighing  coal,  hay,  construction  materials,  etc.,  are 
not  frequently  inspected.  These  scales  should  be  tested  more  frequently, 
as  they  are  more  likely  to  be  inaccurate  than  small  scales. 

Wagons,  the  capacity  of  which  is  supposed  to  be  a  cubic  yard  or  other 
definite  measure,  are  not  tested  by  the  Market  Commissioner,  although  this 
should  be  a  part  of  his  duties. 


NEW  ORDINANCE  REQUIRED. 

The  present  sealer  is  without  adequate  power  to  enforce  an  honest  use 
of  weights  and  measures.  Council  should  adopt  a  new  ordinance  giving  the 
sealer  power  to  create  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  use  of  weights 
and  measures,  and  providing  a  penalty  for  the  violation  of  these  rules.  It 
is  recommended  that  the  New  York  and  Chicago  ordinances  on  weights  and 
measures  be  adopted  in  so  far  as  they  can  be  made  to. apply  to  the  local 
conditions.* 


RECORDS  AND  REPORTS. 

The  records  of  the  Department  of  Markets  as  at  present  maintained  are 
incomplete  and  of  no  value.  An  entirely  new  system  of  records  should  be 
installed  so  as  to  provide  for  a  card  record  of  merchants,  a  record  of  com- 
plaints, a  record  of  violations  and  prosecutions  and  a  register  of  inspection. 


PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

The  present  office  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  is  inadequate  and 
not  at  all  suited  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  used.  It  is  recommended  that 
the  new  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  be  provided  with  an  office  on  one 
of  the  main  thoroughfares. 


ANNUAL  REPORT. 

The  present  form  of  annual  report  is  of  no  use  as  an  administrative  guide 
in  that  it  does  not  give  sufficient  information  to  indicate  the  efficiency  or 
deficiency  of  the  office.  It  is  of  no  value  to  the  citizen  because  it  does  not 
contain  any  advice  or  information  upon  the  subject  of  weights  and  measures. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  annual  report  contain  a  copy  of  the  laws 
and  ordinances  governing  weights  and  measures,  and  a  list  containing  the 
names  and  addresses  of  all  merchants  prosecuted  during  the  year,  and  'that 
the  widest  publicity  possible  be  given  to  the  activities  of  this  bureau. 


*  An  ordinance  passed  since  the  survey  was  made  authorized  the  appoint- 
ment of  an  inspector  of  weights  and  measures. 


MARKETS   DEPARTMENT  53 


DEPARTMENT  OF  MARKETS 


CRITICISMS  AND    CONSTRUCTIVE    SUGGESTIONS 

ON  ADMINISTRATION,  PERSONNEL,  RECORDS 

AND  SEALING  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 


ADMINISTRATION 

Although  the  protection  of  the  public  against  fraud  from  the  use  of 
dishonest  weights  and  measures  is  a  most  important  function  of  city  govern- 
ment, the  citizens  of  Reading  are  not,  and  have  not  been  receiving  adequate 
protection. 

INSPECTION  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  IN  CHARGE  OF 
COMMISSIONER  OF  MARKETS. 

The  inspection  and  regulation  of  weights  and  measures  is  at  present  the 
chief  function  of  the  Department  of  Markets. 

This  department  was  created  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  in  the  year 
1875.  At  that  time  the  law  provided  only  for  the  supervision  and  regulation 
by  the  department  of  the  handling  and  sale  of  food-stuffs  in  market,,  so  as  to 
prevent  the  ''forestalling"  of  markets.  The  intention  was  that  this  depart- 
ment should  prevent  grocers  and  other  dealers  from  buying  up  various 
commodities  in  the  public  markets  in  order  to  raise  the  prices  of  them. 
In  j886  the  Legislature  placed  the  supervision  and  regulation  of  weights  and 
measures  under  the  direction  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets.  In  1913 
a  State  act  placed  the  supervision  under  the  control  of  an  inspector  of  weights 
and  measures. 

INSPECTION  INADEQUATE. 

It  is  impossible  to  discuss  in  this  report  the  amount  or  character  of 
inspection  of  weights  and  measures  or  the  efficiency  of  the  supervision  of 
the  handling  of  food-stuffs  in  the  markets  in  the  past  years,  because  of  the 
absolute  lack  of  records.  But  it  is  apparent,  from  an  inspection  of  the  few 
records  which  are  now  maintained  in  the  Department  of  Markets,  that  there 
is  at  present  no  adequate  inspection  or  supervision  of  the  market  places 
or  of  the  weights  and  measures  of  the  city. 

FOOD  INSPECTOR  CHARGED  TO  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  MAR- 
KETS. 

Although  the  duty  of  inspecting  the  food  supply  to  prevent  adulteration 
of  food  and  the   sale   of   impure   and  diseased  food  properly  belongs   to  the 


54  MARKETS   DEPARTMENT. 

Department  of  Health,  the  cost  of  maintaining  this  inspection  is  charged 
to  the  appropriation  of  the  Department  of  Markets.  While  the  inspector  of 
foods  reports  directly  to  the  Board  of  Health  and  operates  under  its  direc- 
tion, he  is  carried  on  the  payroll  of  the  Department  of  Markets  under  the 
title  of  "Inspector  of  Meat  and  Milk." 

FOOD  INSPECTION  DISCUSSED  IN  HEALTH  REPORT. 

This  report  does  not  take  up  the  work  of  the  food  inspector,  but  only 
recommends  that  the  necessary  appropriation  for  paying  for  his  work  be 
made  through  the  Health  Department.  The  detailed  discussion  of  the  work 
done  by  this  inspector  will  be  found  in  the  report  of  the  survey  of  the 
Health  Department.  It  is  recommended  that  the  Department  of  Markets 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  food  inspection. 

DEPARTMENT  SHOULD  BE  ABOLISHED. 

No  attempt  is  made  at  present  by  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  to  invest 
tigate  or  report  upon  the  way  in  which  foods  are  manufactured,  handled  and 
sold  in  the  market  places.  The  Commissioner  admits  that  the  regulation  of 
weights  and  measures  is  now  the  chief  function  of  his  office.  Therefore,  it  is 
recommended  that  the  Department  of  Markets,  as  such,,  be  abolished,  and 
that  Council  create  a  bureau  of  weights  and  measures,  transferring  all  of 
the  duties  now  imposed  by  law  upon  the  Department  of  Markets  to  the 
Health  Department;  and  that  the  title  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  to 
be  changed  to  that  of  "Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures." 

NEW  ORDINANCE  SHOULD  PROVIDE  FOR  REORGANIZATION. 

The  reorganization  of  the  bureau  of  weights  and  measures  should  be 
provided  for  by  an  ordinance  giving  to  the  sealer  added  powers  and  providing 
increased  penalties  for  violations.  References  will  be  made  throughout  this 
report  to  suggested  ordinances  upon  the  subject  of  weights  and  measures. 


PERSONNEL 

CHANGES  IN  PERSONNEL. 

The  Commissioner  of  Markets  is  an  appointee  of  the  Mayor  and  may  be 
removed  at  will.  He  receives  $720  a  year.  The  present  Commissioner  has 
been  in  office  since  May  28,  1913.  He  is  entirely  unfamiliar  with  sanitation 
and  food  inspection,  and  frankly  admits  that  apart  from  a  hastily  acquired 
knowledge  of  his  duties  as  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,  he  knows  little 
about  the  methods  of  enforcing  the  law. 

The  economic  importance  to  the  citizens  of  a  proper  supervision  of 
weights  and  measures  requires  that  this  office  should  be  efficiently  conducted. 
It  is  not  only  essential  that  the  sealer  should  be  an  active  and  aggressive 
employee,  but  it  is  important  that  he  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
law,  and  have  a  technical  knowledge  of  weights  and  measures.  He  should 
be  familiar  with  the  ordinances   existing  in   other  cities   and  with  the  work 


MARKETS   DEPARTMENT.  55 

of  the  sealers  of  weights  and  measures  throughout  the  country.  The  selection 
by  Council  of  a  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  should  be  made  only  after 
a  competitive  examination  of  candidates  for  the  position.  Since  it  is  neces- 
sary in  Reading  for  the  sealer  to  perform  the  field  duties  of  an  inspector, 
Council  should  take  into  consideration  the  age  and  physical  condition  of  the 
candidates. 


SALARY  SHOULD  BE  INCREASED. 

The  present  salary  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  should  be  increased 
to  $1,000  a  year.  This  increase  in  salary  would  not  involve  an  additional 
appropriation;  it  is  recommended  elsewhere  that  the  position  of  Assistant 
Commissioner  be  abolished,  and  the  $400  which  he  receives  would  furnish 
the  money  for  the  suggested  increase. 


CONTINUOUS  INSPECTION  ADVISABLE. 

I 

The  present  ordinance  requires  that  all  scales,  weights  and  measures  be 
inspected  and  regulated  at  least  once  in  each  year,  between  the  months  of 
April  and  November.  Thus  the  sealer  is  compelled  by  law  to  make  a  com- 
plete inspection  of  the  city  in  seven  months.  To  do  this  it  has  been  neces- 
sary to  appoint  an  assistant  sealer.  It  is  unwise  to  limit  the  period  of  in- 
spection for  two  reasons — because  it  involves  additional  labor,  and  also 
because  it  gives  the  dishonest  merchant  a  definite  schedule  of  time  in  which 
to  prepare  for  the  inspector. 

The  ordinance  should  provide  for  the  annual  inspection  of  all  weights 
and  measures  without  stipulating  any  time  limit.  One  full  time  sealer  of. 
weights  and  measures  could  make  an  all  year  around  inspection.* 


SPORADIC  INSPECTION  NECESSARY. 

The  efficiency  of  weights  and  measures  inspections  as  a  protection  against 
dishonesty  depends,  however,  not  upon  routine  annual  inspection,  but  upon 
sporadic  inspection  and  detective  work. 

The  annual  inspection  of  scales  is  made  merely  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
viding a  census  of  scale  owners,  scales,  weights  and  measures.  The  experi- 
ence of  sealers  of  weights  and  measures  throughout  the  country  is  that  the 
purchasing  public  is  defrauded  in  the  majority  of  cases  by  manipulation  of 
the  scales  and  weights  rather  than  by  imperfect  or  dishonest  weighing  instru- 
ments. Routine  annual  inspections  will  never  furnish  a  protection  against 
manipulation  of  the  scales.  The  most  flagrant  violators  of  the  law  in  the 
City  of  New  York,  those  who  made  a  steady  practice  of  defrauding  their 
customers,  were  merchants  in  whose  stores  hung  the  very  best  type  of  scales 
which  were  never  permitted  to  be  out  of  order,  but  which  were  manipulated 
when  used  to  the  prejudice  of  the  customer. 


::  An  ordinance  passed  since  the  survey  was  made  anuthorized  the  appoint- 
ment  of  an   inspector  of  weights   and   measures. 


56  MARKETS   DEPARTMENT 


DETECTIVE  WORK  NECESSARY. 

To  afford  adequate  protection  to  the  public,  the  sealer  of  weights  and 
measures  must  perform  detective  work.  The  best  method  of  ridding  the  city 
of  dishonest  merchants  and  dishonest  practices,  is  by  obtaining  the  co-opera- 
tion of  citizens.  The  sealer  can  turn  every  housewife  into  an  unsalaried 
inspector  of  weights  and  measures  if  he  is  sufficiently  progressive  and  quali- 
fied for  his  work. 

PUBLICITY  THE  BEST  All). 

To  secure  the  co-operation  of  citizens,  public  opinion  is  the  best  aid. 
Publicity  in  the  form  of  pamphlets  describing  well  known  vicious  practices 
in  connection  with  scale  manipulation;  warnings  to  the  housewife  against 
carelessness  in  purchasing:  advising  her  to  have  a  scale  and  measures  in  the 
home;  the  method  of  reweighing  purchases — all  these  measures  help  to  arouse 
the  public  and  put  it  on  its  guard. 

The  best  weaprin  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  can  use  in  pre- 
venting fraudulent  practices  is  criminal  prosecution,  and  newspaper  publicity 
of  the  results  of  such  prosecutions. 


REVENUE 

INSPECTION  FEES. 

The  Commissioner  collects  a  fee  for  the  original  inspection  and  sealing 
of  weights  and  measures.  For  such  fees  as  he  receives  he  issues  a  receipt, 
and  turns  over  the  money  to  the  City  Treasurer.  These  fees  are  distinct 
from  charges  for  adjusting  weights  and  measures. 

The  fee  system  for  inspections  has  been  condemned  by  the  best  authori- 
ties on  municipal  government.  In  weights  and  measures  the  fee  system  has 
been  condemned  by  the  sealers'  State  organizations  in  the  majority  of  the 
States  in  the  country.  It  is  recommended  that  Council  abolish  the  fee 
system  for  such  inspections  in  the  city.  The  enforcement  of  the  law  pro- 
tecting the  public  should  not  be  kept  on  a  revenue-earning  basis. 

If  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  performs  his  duties  intelligently 
and  faithfully,  the  taxpayers  will  be  repaid  the  cost  of  the  free  inspection 
system  many  times  over. 

LICENSES 

LICENSING  AN   AID   TO   SUPERVISION    OF   WEIGHTS   AND 
MEASURES. 

There  is  no  better  aid  in  the  regulation  and  supervision  of  weights  and 
measures  than  the  enforced  licensing  of  all  businesses  in  which  weights  and 
measures  are  used.  By  this  is  meant  licensing  for  regulation  and  not  for 
revenue.  It  is  recommended  that  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  requiring 
each  business  in  which  weights  and  measures  are  used  to  obtain  a  license 
from    the    license    court.      The    fee    for    such    licenses    should    be    no    higher 


MARKETS    DEPARTMENT. 


than  is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  defray  the  expenses  of  issuing  the 
license.  A  printed  form  applieation  should  be  filled  out  in  eaeh  case,  on 
which  the  dealer  should  be  required  to  state  the  character  of  business,  loca- 
tion, number,,  kind  and  capacity  of  scales,  weights  and  measures  in  use. 
He  should  be  required^  to  bring  to  the  office  of  the  sealer  of  weights  and 
measures  all  scales,  weights  and  measures  of  a  small  capacity  and  have  them 
sealed. 

The  ordinance  should  also  provide  that  the  failure  to  have  scales,  weights 
and  measures  properly  inspected  and  sealed,  would  be  cause  for  revocation 
of  license.,  and  that  two  or  more  convictions  for  the  fraudulent  use  of  the 
scales,  weights  and  measures  by  a  dealer  would  also  be  cause  for  revocation 
of  license.  The  special  advantage  of  the  licensing  of  such  business  places 
is  that  it  not  only  provides  an  added  weapon  for  the  sealer  to  use  in  his 
campaign  against  short  weights,  but  it  also  provides  for  the  registering  of 
all  scales,  weights  and  measures  with  the  sealer  when  they  are  brought  into 
the  city  .for  use. 


SEALING  OF  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 

MUCH  TIME  LOST  IX  REGULATING. 

A  considerable  part  of  the  time  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  is  now 
given  to  the  regulation  and  adjustment  of  scales  and  weights.  Adjusting  and 
regulating  scales  and  weights  is  nothing  less  than  repair  work  which  it  is 
not  the  city's  business  to  do.  It  is  the  business  of  the  merchant  owning  the 
scale  to  keep  it  clean  and  in  repair;  the  city's  business  is  limited  to  penalizing 
the  merchant  who  fails  to  do  this.  The  regulation  and  adjustment  of  scales 
by  city  officials  throughout  the  country  has  resulted  in  surrounding  the 
dishonest  merchant  with  protection  against  prosecution,  and  is  an  injustice 
to  the  merchant  who  keeps  his  scales  clean  and  in  good  repair.  If  the  sealer 
finds  a  scale  in  use  which  is  inaccurate  to  such  an  extent  as  to  work  a  fraud 
he  should  prosecute  the  owner  of  the  scale  regardless  of  how  small  the  fraud 
may  be.  But  the  owner  has  no  reason  to  fear  the  sealer's  visit  if  he  knows 
that  when  the  sealer  visits  his  shop  and  finds  his  scale  inaccurate,  he  will 
adjust  the   scale   instead   of  prosecuting  him. 


TOLERANCES  SHOULD  BE  PROVIDED. 

Spring  scales  are  subject  to  contraction  and  expansion  as  a  result  of 
changes  in  temperature;  weights  are  subject  to  change  as  a  result  of  use. 
and  platform  scales  are  likely  to  become  unbalanced  as  the  result  of  rough 
usage.  But  all  three  conditions  produce  only  a  slight  change  in  the  scales  and 
weights.  On  account  of  these  unavoidable  changes,  the  sealer  should  adopt 
a  schedule  of  tolerances,  following  as  early  as  possible  the  tolerances 
allowed  by  the  National  Bureau  of  Standards.  But  all  cases  where  scales, 
weights  and  measures  in  use  are  found  to  be  inaccurate  in  a  greater  degree 
than  the  prescribed  tolerances  should  result  in  criminal  prosecution. 


58 MARKETS   DEPARTMENT. 

SATURDAY   NIGHT   INSPECTIONS   SHOULD    BE   MADE. 

The  Commissioner  and  his  assistant  do  not  at  present  make  any  night 
inspection.  On  account  of  the  unusually  crowded  condition  of  the  market 
places  Saturday  night  is  the  harvest  time  for  dishonest  merchants.  It  is, 
therefore,  suggested  that  the  sealer  visit  the  large  market  places  on  Saturday 
nights. 

MORE  FREQUENT  INSPECTIONS  OF  PLATFORM   SCALES 
IS  NECESSARY. 

The  requirement  that  scales  be  inspected  and  tested  once  a  year  is  in- 
sufficient protection  in  the  case  of  platform  scales  for  weighing  coal,  con- 
struction materials,  hay,  etc.  These  scales  should  be  more  frequently  tested 
because  of  the  greater  chance  for  error  and  the  greater  opportunity  for 
fraud.  In  order  to  test  a  coal  scale  under  the  present  system  it  is  necessary 
for  the  Commisioner  of  Markets  to  transport  a  ton  or  more  of  weight  to 
the  larger  scale.  All  owners  of  platform  scales  used  in  weighing  coal,  and 
of  all  other  public  scales  should  be  required  by  ordinances  to  maintain  a 
set  of  standard  weights  not  less  than  One  ton  weight.  These  should  consist 
of  fifty  pounds  of  test  weights;  they  should  be  kept  in  a  cabinet  adjacent 
to  the  scale  under  lock  and  key.  This  would  provide  the  owner  of  the 
scale  with  a  means  of  testing  his  own  scale  from  time  to  time  and  would 
end  the  city's  paying  for  carting  a  ton  or  more  of  weights  for  each  inspec- 
tion. The  sealer  sshould  compare  the  privately  owned  standards  with  his 
own  at  stated  periods  during  the  year. 

CAPACITY  TESTS   FOR   CONTRACTORS'  WAGONS   NEEDED. 

Considerable  contract  %vork  is  done  in  the  City  of  Reading  by  the  cubic 
yard  or  other  definite  measure  of  material  removed.  If  a  contract  calls  for 
the  removal  of  a  number  of  wagon  loads,  each  supposed  to  represent  a 
certain  number  of  cubic  yards,,  the  capacity  of  each  wagon  should  be  tested 
by  the  sealer  of  weights  and  measures  and  certified  by  means  of  a  plate 
fastened  to  the  wagon. 


NEW  ORDINANCE  REQUIRED 

MORE  POWER  FOR  SEALER. 

The  present  weights  and  measures  ordinance  is  inadequate  in  that  it  does 
not  give  the  sealer  power  to  make  rules  regulating  the  use  of  scales,  weights 
and  measures,  and  of  the  appliances  attached  to  them.  The  ordinance  should 
give  the  sealer  ample  power  not  only  to  make  rules  and  regulations  govern- 
ing the  use  of  scales  and  their  appliances,  but  also  to  direct  owners  of  scales 
to  put  them  in  a  place  where  the  customer  can  read  the  weight  without 
difficulty.  Many  scales  were  observed  which  were  placed  so  far  from  the 
counter  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  customer  to  see  the  dial  or 
the  markings  on  the  face  of  the  scale.  In  the  case  of  computing  scales, 
unless  the  scale  is  placed  upon  the  counter  or  just  beside  the  customer,  he 


MARKETS   DEPARTMENT.  59 

cannot  possibly  read  the  weight  chart  and  hence  fraud  can  easily  be  practiced. 
Under  the  present  ordinance  the  sealer  has  no  power  to  dictate  in  what  part 
of  the  store  the  scale  should  be  placed. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  most  vicious  type  of  attachment  to 
scales  is  the  open  adjustment  screw,  many  scales  with  this  attachment  were 
observed  in  use.  No  amount  of  inspection  would  be  able  to  furnish  adequate 
protection  to  the  public  against  the  manipulation  of  scales  by  these  open 
adjustment  screws. 

The  ordinance  should  not  only  provide  the  sealer  with  the  power  to 
create  rules,  but  should  likewise  create  a  penalty  for  violation  of  them. 

NO   PENALTY   FOR   REMOVAL  OF  CONDEMNATION  TAG. 

Weights  and  measures  that  are  condemned  are  now  labeled  with  a  red 
tag  attached  by  means  of  a  wire  loop.  As  the  wire  is  only  twisted  together, 
there  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  dealer  from  taking  the  tag  off  and  replacing 
it  again  whenever  he  thinks  it  is  necessary.  The  condemnation  label  should 
be  attached  to  the  scale  and  sealed  with  the  inspector's  stamp  in  such  a 
way  that  the  tag  could  not  be  removed  without  leaving  evidence  that  it  had 
been  tampered  with.  The  ordinance  should  provide  a  penalty  of  $25  for  the 
removal  of  the  condemnation  tag  by  any  person  other  than  the  sealer  of 
weights  and  measures. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  New  York  and  Chicago  ordinances  on  weights 
and  measures  be  adopted  in  so  far  as  they  can  be  made  to  apply  to  the  local 
conditions. 


RECORDS  AND  REPORTS 

NO  RECORD  OF  PREVIOUS  SERVICE. 

The  Market  Commissioner  stated  that  when  he  came  into  office  on  May 
28,  1913,  no  records  of  previous  service  were  to  be  found,,  except  a  memoran- 
dum book  in  which  pencil  notes  of  visits  had  been  made. 

PRESENT  RECORDS  OF  SERVICE  INADEQUATE. 

Aside  from  pencil  entries  in  memorandum  books  carried  by  the  Commis- 
sioner and  his  assistant,  the  only  record  of  service  to  be  found  in  their 
office  now  is  a  book  in  which  the  Commissioner  enters  each  cfcay's  trans- 
actions in  diary  form.  It  is  therefore  impossible  to  determine  quantity  and 
quality  of  the  service  rendered  by  these  two  officials  without  making  a 
detailed  analysis  of  each  day's  record.  No  file  is  kept  of  the  various 
businesses  using  weights  and  measures  or  of  the  tests,  Violations  and  con- 
fiscations made  in  each  case. 

NO    RECORD   OF   PROSECUTIONS   MAINTAINED. 

No  record  of  prosecutions  is  kept.  The  Commissioner  states  that  during 
his  term  of  office  three  prosecutions  for  "forestalling"  have  been  brought, 
but  as  yet  no  decisions  have  been  rendered. 


6o  MARKETS    DEPARTMENT. 


NO  RECORD  OF  COMPLAINTS. 

As  no  record  of  complaints  is  kept,  it  is  impossible  to  say  how  many  or 
what  kind  of  complaints  are  received  or  investigated  by  the  Commissioner 
of  Markets. 


RECORDS  WHICH   SHOULD   BE   ESTABLISHED   AT   ONCE. 

The  sealer  should  make  a  card  record  of  all  the  merchants  using  scales, 
weights  and  measures.  The  best  method  of  getting  the  material  together 
for  this  card  record  is  to  provide  the  sealer  with  a  book  to  be  used  when 
he  makes  his  inspections.  The  book  should  contain  printed  certificate  forms, 
with  headings  calling  for  complete  information  concerning  the  business 
inspected.  At  each  inspection  the  sealer  should  give  the  owner  a  certificate 
of  inspection.  At  the  time  of  making  out  the  certificate  of  inspection,  the 
sealer,  by  carbon  process,  makes  out  a  duplicate  certificate  on  a  card  which 
at  the  end  of  the  day's  inspection  he  removes  from  the  binder  and  files  in 
an  ordinary  card  cabinet. 

RECORD  OF  COMPLAINTS. 

When  a  complaint  is  received,  it  should  be  numbered  and  stamped  with 
the  date  and  time  of  receipt.  A  record  of  the  complaint  should  then  be 
entered  on  a  complaint  book.  When  the  complaint  is  investigated,  the 
sealer  should  make  a  written  report,  which  should  be  attached  to  the  original 
letter  of  complaint  and  filed  with  it.  The  result  of  the  investigation  should 
also  be  noted  in  the  complaint  book.  Oral  complaints  made  either  over  the 
telephone  or  to  the  sealer  personally  should  be  written  out  and  handled 
in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  letters  of  complaint.  All  complaints  against 
dealers  should  be  noted  upon  the  record  card  of  the  dealer.  Each  month 
the  record  of  complaints  should  be  recapitulated  under  headings  which 
would  furnish  proper  information  for  tables  showing  the  number  of  com- 
plaints  received,  the   subject   complained  of,  and  the  action  taken. 

RECORD   OF  VIOLATIONS  AND   PROSECUTIONS. 

A  card  record  of  violations  and  prosecutions  should  be  maintained.  Upon 
this  card  §hould  be  entered  a  short  statement  of  facts  as  to  the  character 
of  the  violation.  The  results  of  prosecution  should  also  be  recorded  on 
these  cards. 


A  REGISTER  OF  INSPECTIONS  SHOULD  BE  KEPT. 

Each  day's  inspections  should  be  recorded  in  this  book.  It  should  show 
the  apparatus  inspected,  the  character  of  places  visited,  and  the  result  of 
the  inspections.  This  information  should  be  copied  from  the  record  cards 
before  they  are  filed.  The  complaint  book  and  the  record  of  violations  and 
prosecutions,  as  well  as  the  register  of  inspection  should  be  kept  posted  up 
to  date. 


MARKETS   DEPARTMENT.  61 


PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS 

NEED  FOR  IMPROVED  QUARTERS. 

The  office  of  the  Commissioner  of  Markets  and  his  assistant  is  a  small 
room  about  ten  by  twenty  feet  in  size.  It  contains  the  desk  of  the  Com- 
missioner and  a  desk  for  the  electrician  in  charge  of  the  lire  and  police 
alarm  system.  The  Commissioner  of  Markets  also  keeps  confiscated 
apparatus  in  the  office,  and  has  a  work  bench  where  he  repairs  and  alters 
weights. 

Council  should  provide  the  bureau  with  an  office  located  on  one  of  the 
main  streets.  The  office  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  provide  for  a  mechanical 
work  shop.  Citizens  should  be  encouraged  to  visit  the  office.  The  head- 
quarters of  the  bureau  of  weights  and  measures  should  be  as  familiar  to 
housewives  and  merchants  as  the  city  hall  itself.  Merchants  should  be 
encouraged  to  visit  the  bureau  to  have  small  scales  inspected  and  tested, 
while  housewives  should  be  urged  to  visit  the  bureau  occasionally  to  have 
their  purchases  reweighed.  For  this  purpose  the  sealer  should  be  provided 
with  adequate  equipment,  which  should  include  a  large  sink  or  trough  for 
testing  of  liquid  measures,  a  spring  scale,  a  counter  balance  scale,  and  a 
platform  scale  of  sufficient  capacity  to  meet  the  demands  of  those  desiring 
to   have   commodities    reweighed. 

The  sealer  should  spend  a  certain  number  of  hours  each  day  in  his  office. 
These  hours   should  be  known  to  the  public. 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

REPORT  SHOULD   CONTAIN   ORDINANCES. 

The  annual  report,  in  addition  to  containing  the  table,  showing  the  number 
of  inspections,  number  of  articles  inspected,,  condemned  and  confiscated, 
classified  as  to  type  and  capacity,  and  the  number  of  violations,  prosecutions 
and  their  result,  should  contain  a  complete  copy  of  the  laws  and  ordinances 
on  weights  and  measures,  and  common  tables  of  weights  and  measures  for 
handy  reference  of  the  citizens.  A  list  of  the  merchants  prosecuted  during 
the  year,  with  a  statement  of  the  violations  for  which  they  were  prosecuted 
should  be  printed  in  the  annual  report  and  should  also  be  given  the  widest 
possible  publicity.  The  dishonest  merchant  fears  publicity  much  more  than 
he  does  a  fine. 


Weiler's  Printing  House   '"*$!£&*■   440  Court  St..  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  THREE 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Public  Library 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 
10  CENTS 


CONTENTS 


Page 
Summary  of  Criticisms   and  Constructive  Suggestions    .  . .  ., 67-69 

Administration  70 

Personnel  70 

Promotions  and  Salary  Increases   71 

Records  of  Employees'  Service   71 

Appropriations  72 

Revenue 72 

Purchase  and  Provision  of  Supplies  and  Equipment J2 

Provision   of   Buildings    73 

Library    Service    i  yi> 

Publicity  76 


READING    PUBLIC    LIBRARY— SUMMARY.  67 


READING  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 

SUGGESTIONS  WHICH  MAY  BE  EASILY 

ADOPTED  BY  COUNCIL 

ADMINISTRATION. 

The  Library  Board  of  16  members  is  too  unwieldy  to  assure  efficient 
service.  Its  powers  and  duties  would  be  better  vested  in  the  Council,  but 
this  change  cannot  be  effected  until  the  trusts  and  conditions  under  which 
the  City  of  Reading  received  the  library  property  are  changed.  A  com- 
mittee of  citizens  will  always  be  found  useful  as  a  book  committee. 

There  is  no  program  for  increasing  the  service  of  the  library,  which 
is  now  merely  a  storehouse  for  books.  The  librarian  should  be  a  man  of 
experience  in  the  kind  of  active,,  extended  library  management  that  Reading 
now  lacks  and  needs. 

Only  one  apprentice  is  now  employed.  Several  more  should  be  engaged 
and  trained  for  the   extended  service  that  is   recommended. 

The  only  service  requirement  now  made  is  that  the  librarian  must  spend 
40  hours  a  week  on  duty.  They  should  be  required  to  furnish  evidence  of 
the  time  and  kind  of  service  they  render,  as  a  basis  for  salary  payments. 

APPROPRIATIONS. 

The  present  appropriations  are  too  small  for  the  increased  service  that 
is  recommended.  No  more  is  needed  for  salaries,  but  more  should  be  allowed 
for  operation  and  maintenance. 

REVENUE. 

The  revenue  received  from  fees  and  penalties  is  only  about  $30.00  per 
month.  This  could  be  increased,  among  other  ways,  by  furnishing  extra 
copies  of  new  and   popular  books  at  a  rental   of  one  cent  a  clay. 

PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

A  book  committee,  acting  in  an  advisory  capacity  only,  should  be 
appointed  to  advise  the  librarian   in  the   selection  of  new  books. 

PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

Lighting  and  ventilation  should  be  improved,  even  if  it  is  necessary  to 
increase    the    window    space    of    the    basement    rooms.      A    ventilating    system 


68 READING   PUBLIC   LIBRARY— SUMMARY. 

should    be    installed    so    that    basement    rooms,    particularly    the    librarians' 
rest  room  and  toilets,  may  be  made  serviceable. 

The  office  of  the  librarian,  which  is  in  a  state  of  disorder,  should  be  put, 
and  kept  in  proper  condition. 

LIBRARY  SERVICE. 

No  branch  libraries  are  now  provided,  although  the  library  is  not  now 
readily  accessible  from  the  centers  of  Reading's  industrial  population.  Branch 
libraries  should  be  installed  at  points  easily  accessible  from  these  districts.* 

A  business  men's  library,  consisting  of  all  available  information  of  use 
to  business  men,  should  be  arranged  for  their  use,  either  in  a  branch  library 
or  in  a  room  in  the  main  library.  The  slight  cost  would  be  more  than  offset 
by  the  resulting  convenience  and  saving  of  time  of  business  men  and  such 
a  library  would  help  to  obtain  their  continued  interest  and  co-operation  in 
library  matters. 

No  municipal  reference  library  has  been  arranged  although  there  are 
many  books  in  the  library  dealing  with  various  phases  of  municipal  activity. 
These  should  be  collected  and  made  available  for  ready  reference. 

The  number  of  books  dealing  with  the  particular  industries  in  which 
Reading  is  interested  is  limited.  Such  books  or  collections  of  books  should 
be  made  a  feature  of  Reading's  improved  library  service. 

A  "Made  in  Reading"  directory,  which  would  be  a  valuable  aid  to 
manufacturers,  salesmen  and  buyers  in  this  and  other  cities  should  be 
prepared  by  the  librarian. 

Traveling  libraries  should  be  prepared  for  clubs,  civic  organizations, 
trade  unions,  etc.,,  on  particular  subjects  about  which  they  may  want  informa- 
tion. They  should  be  loaned  for  limited  periods,  subject  to  the  same  rules 
as  other  loans. 

No  files  of  pictures  and  photographs,  lantern  slides,  etc.,  or  educational 
subjects  are  now  available  for  schools,  clubs,  and  other  societies.  This 
service,  which  need  not  cost  much,  would  meet  a  real  need,  particularly  in 
public  school  work. 

No  special  efforts  have  been  made  to  secure  and  group  a  collection  of 
books  on  pedagogical  subjects  for  teachers.  Publishers  of  such  books  will 
add  copies  to  this  collection  free  of  charge  or  at  a  very  low  price. 

The  periodical  literature  which  is  provided  does  not  cover  as  wide  a 
range  as  it  should  in  a  city  of  Reading's  cosmopolitan  character  and  diversi- 
fied interests.  A  selection  better  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  community 
should  be  made.  Federal,  State  and  municipal  health  bulletins  should  be 
provided. 

The  library  has  no  museum  or  art  gallery,  but  these  needs  are  being 
realized  through  the  museum  and  art  gallery  started  in  the  school  administra- 
tion building. 


*  Since  the  writing   of  this   report  the   opening   of  branch  libraries   has 
been  authorized. 


READING   PUBLIC   LIBRARY— SUMMARY. 69 

The  library  should  be  open  on  Sundays  and  holidays  for  reading  and 
reference  work.  This  would  meet  the  needs  of  workingmen  and  others  who 
are  unable  to  reach  the  library  on  working  days. 

The  librarian  could  greatly  increase  the  library's  service  by  circulating 
as  widely  as  possible  information  about  the  library's  preparation  for  meeting 
the  needs  and  desires  of  Reading's  citizens.  He  should  prepare  news  articles 
for  the  papers  and  weekly  or  monthly  bulletins  and  circulars  for  general 
distribution. 


70  READING  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


READING  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


CRITICISMS  AND    CONSTRUCTIVE    SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ADMINISTRATION,  PERSONNEL,  APPRO- 
PRIATIONS AND  LIBRARY  SERVICE 


ADMINISTRATION 

ADMINISTRATION  HAMPERED  BY  THE  SIZE  OF  THE  BOARD. 

The  Reading  Public  Library  Board  consists  of  16  members,  five  of 
whom  are  selected  by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  old  Reading  Library 
Corporation,  and  ten,  including  the  Mayor  as  an  ex-officio  member,  by  the 
Councils.  Such  a  large  Board,  representing  as  it  does  many  different  districts 
of  the  city  and  many  different  views  about  the  purpose  and  the  program 
of  the  library  hampers  rather  than  assists  the  extension  of  library  service 
which  is  needed  in  Reading.  The  present  Board  is  too  unwieldy  to  assure 
efficient  service,  but  under  the  deed  of  gift  must  be  continued.  A  committee 
of  citizens  is  always  useful  as  a  book  committee  to  give  advice  in  the  selec- 
tion of  new  books. 


BOARD  MEETINGS   INFREQUENT. 

The  Library  Board  meets  but  once  each  month,  when  the  librarian  sub- 
mits his  monthly  report.  Although  under  the  present  administration  the 
Board  is  supposed  to  direct  the  policy  of  the  library,  the  meetings  are 
usually  rather  perfunctory,  consisting  chiefly  of  the  consideration  of  routine 
matters.  It  is  evident  that  at  present  the  real  direction  of  the  library  and 
its  policies  lies  with  the  librarian.  The  Board  itself,  composed  of  laymen 
with  pressing  private  interests,,  can  hardly  be  expected  to  supply  the  neces- 
sary incentive  for  good  public  service.  It  must  look  to  the  librarian  for 
plans  for  developing  the  service;  but  he  fails  to  bring  to  the  Board  meetings 
the  ideas   which   his   experience   and  training  have  given  him. 


PERSONNEL 

PROGRESSIVE  SPIRIT   LACKING. 

The  librarian,  who  acts  as  supervisor  of  the  library,  and  who  is  the 
person  who  should  know  what  it  could  do,  has  no  plan  For  making  it  really 
serve    the    citv.      The    modern    tendency    in    library    service    is    to    make    the 


READING  PUBLIC  LIBRARY.  71 


library  an  institution  for  education  and  to  develop  as  extended  a  service 
as  possible — in  short,  to  bring  the  library  to  the  people.  A  library  should 
be  something  more  than  a  storehouse  for  books.  It  is  therefore  imperative 
that  Council  in  selectiing  a  librarian  should  make  an  effort  to  secure  one 
who  has  a  definite  plan  for  making  the  library  meet  the  city's  needs,  and 
the  necessary  ability  to  carry  this  program  into  effect. 

The  librarian  now  receives  a  salary  of  $1,500;  his  term  of  office  is  one 
year,  subject  to  the  ruling  of  the  Board.  A  competent  librarian  for  the 
City  of  Reading  should  command  a  salary  of  at  least  $2,000  and  should  hold 
office  indefinitely.  In  selecting  a  librarian  the  choice  should  not  be  expected 
to  be  limited  to  citizens  of  Reading. 


INCREASED  STAFF  NEEDED  FOR  IMPROVED  SERVICE. 

There  are  at  present  ten  assistant  librarians  and  one  apprentice.  This 
number  is  ample  for  the  service  now  given;  with  the  increased  service 
recommended,  however,  an  addition  to  the  force  may  be  necessary.  The 
number  of  apprentices  should  be  increased  so  that  when  the  demand  for  new 
and  extended  service  is  made,  there  will  be  a  sufficient  number  of  trained 
librarians   ready  to  take   up  the  work. 


PROMOTIONS  AND  SALARY  INCREASES 

SCHEDULE  FIXED  BY  BOARD. 

Apprentices  are  appointed  for  library  service  for  six  months  without 
pay.  After  this  they  receive  $35.00  a  month  for  the  first  year;  $40.00  in  the 
second  and  third  years;  $45.00  in  the  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  years,  and  after 
six  years  $50.00.  This  schedule,  which  has  been  fixed  by  the  Board,  is 
adhered  to  inflexibly.  As  it  is  an  equitable  arrangement  and  is  apparently 
satisfactory  to  all  concerned,  it  should  be  continued. 


RECORDS  OF  EMPLOYEE'S  SERVICE 

IMPROVED  TIME   RECORDS   NEEDED. 

Assistant  librarians  are  required  to  give  40  hours  service  a  week,  not 
including  Sundays  and  holidays.  Apart  from  a  memorandum  book  kept  by 
the  librarian,  no  time  records  are  required.  In  this  department,  however, 
as  well  as  in  all  other  branches  of  the  city's  service,  definite  service  reports 
should  be  required.  Each  employee  should  make  out  weekly  or  semi-monthly 
time  records  showing  the  amount  and  kind  of  service  he  has  rendered  as 
a  basis  for  salary  payments. 


72  READING  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 


APPROPRIATIONS 

INCREASED  APPROPRIATION  NECESSARY  FOR  EXTENDED 
SERVICE. 

According  to  the  terms  of  the  Carnegie  gift  of  the  library,,  10  per  cent 
of  the  amount  of  the  gift,  or  $10,000,  must  be  appropriated  each  year  for 
its  operation  and  maintenance.  This  amount  has  always  been  recognized 
as  insufficient.  If  any  plan  for  extended  service  is  adopted,  even  the  sum 
last  appropriated,  $15,440,  will  be  found  inadequate,  as  $7,740  of  this  sum  was 
spent  for  salaries  alone.  In  addition  to  the  extension  service  that  is  recom- 
mended, changes  should  be  made  in  the  arrangement,,  lighting  and  ventilation 
of  the  plant.  The  next  appropriation  should  be  in  the  neighborhood  of 
$25,000  or  $30,000.  Before  definite  figures  for  the  amount  needed  are 
suggested,  however,  a  careful  estimate  should  be  made  of  the  cost  of  all 
installations  or  extensions;  so  that  budget  estimates  can  show  exactly  why 
those  amounts  are  requested  and  the  use  to  which  they  are  to  be  put. 


REVENUE 

INCREASED  REVENUE  POSSIBLE, 

About  $30.00  per  month  is  received  from  fines  and  penalties.  This  sum 
is  turned  over  to  the  treasurer  who  keeps  it  as  a  contingent  fund  for  the 
purchase  of  small  supplies  the  librarian  needs.  This  revenue  will,  of  course, 
be  increased  as  the  circulation  increases.  It  can  also  be  increased  in  various 
ways,  as,  for  instance,  by  providing  a  section  containing  several  extra  copies 
of  each  new  and  popular  book  to  be  loaned  at  one  cent  a  day.  This  plan 
has  been  tried  successfully  in  other  libraries,  where  it  has  been  found  that 
patrons  are  glad  to  pay  a  cent  a  day  for  the  extra  accommodation.  As  the 
library  report  shows  that  71,304  volumes  of  fiction  and  juvenile  books  were 
borrowed  in  1912,  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  revenue  of  the  library  could 
be   increased  in  this  way  by  several  hundred  dollars   each  year. 


PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES 
AND  EQUIPMENT 

Any  order  for  the  purchase  of  supplies  must  come  from  the  Library 
Board,  except  that  the  small  contingent  fund  previously  mentioned  is  kept 
on  hand  by  the  treasurer  for  emergency  use  b}'  the  librarian.  All  purchases 
of  books  must  be  sanctioned  by  the  Board.  It  is  desirable  that  there  be 
some  advisory  committee  which  the  librarian  may  call  upon  in  determining 
the  need  for  new  books,  as  leaving  this  matter  entirely  in  the  librarian's 
hands  may  result  in  unwise  selections.  Such  a  body  should  consist  of  three 
or  five  members  chosen  for  their  particular  qualifications  as  judges  of  book 
values  and  readers'  needs.  Such  a  committee  should  be  selected  by  Council 
from  among  the  leaders  of  literary  thought  and  training,  teachers,  business 
men,  manufacturers,  etc. 


READING  PUBLTC   LIBRARY.  73 


PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS 

LIBRARY   NOT  ADAPTED   FOR   PRACTICAL  SERVICE. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  architect  who  designed  the  Reading  Public 
Library  did  not  attempt  to  adapt  his  plans  to  the  service  for  which  the 
building  is  intended.  There  is  but  one  floor  which  is  of  any  practical  use. 
The  basement,  which  is  about  three-quarters  under  ground,  and  which  has 
to  be  used  for  the  children's  room,  the  reference  room,  and  for  storage 
purposes  is  so  dark  that  storage  is  the  only  thing  it  is  fit  for.  When  visited 
by  the  investigator  the  children's  room,  which  should  be  bright,  cheery  and 
attractive,  was  just  the  reverse,  and  even  at  the  brightest  time  of  the  day 
the  room  would  have  no  attraction  whatever  for  children.  Other  rooms 
in  the  basement  are  dark,  cheerless  and  forbidding.  Artificial  light  has  to  be 
used  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  on  a  dull  day  it  must  be  used  all 
the  time. 

Nothing  can  be  done  with  these  rooms  without  extensively  altering  the 
window  space.  The  windows,  which  are  close  to  the  ground,  are  small  and 
deep  set  and  consequently  let  but  little  light  through.  This  matter  of  im- 
proving the  light  in  the  basement  should  be  taken  up  at  once. 

IMPROVED  VENTILATION  NEEDED. 

Lack  of  proper  ventilation  was  particularly  noticeable  in  all  basement 
rooms,  particularly  in  the  librarians'  rest  room  and  in  the  toilets.  The 
librarians'  rest  room,  which  is  doubly  dark  on  account  of  the  proximity 
of  other  buildings,  was  "stuffy"  to  the  extreme.  The  toilet,  lighted  and 
ventilated  by  a  single  small  window,  also  badly  needed  airing.  Unless  some 
means  can  be  devised  for  improving  the  direct  ventilation  by  increasing  the 
window   area,   a   ventilating   system   should  be   installed. 

LIBRARIAN'S  OFFICE. 

Great  disorder  was  found  in  the  librarian's  office.  The  librarian  explained 
that  this  was  due  to  the  fact  that  a  great  deal  of  moving  around  of  material 
had  been  necessary  in  getting  things  in  order  in  the  new  building.  Orderli- 
ness and  neatness  of  desks  and  files  are  marks  of  good  service  in  every 
office;  and  in  an  institution  such  as  a  public  library,  the  office  should  be  a 
model  of  its  kind. 


LIBRARY  SERVICE 

BRANCH  LIBRARIES  NEEDED. 

Reading's  population  is  largely  an  industrial  one.  Rents  are  comparatively 
high  for  working  people,  and  the  cost  of  living  makes  any  expense  for 
library  service  inconvenient.  Even  so  small  an  amount  as  the  carfare 
expended  by  workmen  in  reaching  the  library  works  a  hardship  upon  them. 


74  READING  PUBLIC   LIBRARY. 

The  single  library  is  not  so  located  that  it  is  easily  accessible  to  the  center 
of  Reading's  industrial  life.  Branch  libraries  should  be  opened  in  school 
buildings  or,,  better  still,  in  private  buildings  rented  for  the  purpose;  and 
they  should  be  kept  open  at  hours  convenient  for  the  persons  whom  they 
are  intended  to  entertain  and  instruct.* 

BUSINESS  MEN'S  BRANCH. 

The  public  library  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  has  taken  a  long  step  in 
advance  in  supplying  a  particular  kind  of  library  service  to  business  men. 
A  branch  has  been  opened  in  the  downtown  business  district  to  supply 
information  on  the  varied  topics  which  affect  business  life.  This  library 
is  equipped  with  business  reference  books  and  periodicals,  classified 
directories  of  manufactures  and  businesses  in  foreign  and  domestic  trade, 
city  directories  and  telephone  directories  of  all  the  principal  American  cities, 
maps  showing  railroad  lines  and  car  lines,  and  railway  time  tables.  By 
consulting  these  maps  and  guides  a  traveling  man  can  arrange  his  entire 
days  work  in  Newark  and  other  cities  in  a  few  minutes,  so  that  he  can  save 
several  hours  of  valuable  time  in  visiting  his  buyers.  Information  on  all 
sorts  of  subjects,  such  as  weather  reports,  market  quotations,  statistical  data 
of  the  Census  Bureau  reports  and  other  government  documents  is  cheerfully 
given  by  telephone,,  letter,  or  in  person. 

Such  a  library  would  be  exceedingly  useful  to  Reading  business  men, 
and  an  effort  should  be  made  to  establish  it  either  in  the  public  library 
building  or  in  separate  rooms. 

"MADE  IN  READING"  DIRECTORY. 

The  librarian  of  the  business  men's  branch  library  in  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  has  compiled  a  "Made  in  Newark"  directory  which  is  extremely 
valuable  both  as  a  reference  work  for  business  men  and  commercial  travelers 
and  as  an  advertisement  of  Newark's  place  in  the  manufacturing  world.  The 
compilation  and  publication  of  such  a  directory  of  articles  manufactured 
in  Reading  would  serve  a  similar  purpose  for  Reading's  citizens. 

LIBRARY  SHOULD  BE  OPEN  SUNDAYS  AND  HOLIDAYS. 

The  reading  rooms  and  reference  library  should  be  open  on  Sundays  and 
holidays.  It  is  impossible  for  many  workingmen  and  other  persons  to  visit 
the  library  at  any  other  time,  yet,  if  the  library  is  to  be  of  service  to  all 
citizens  their  needs  should  be  met.  Proper  distribution  of  the  time  of  the 
employees  would  make  it  possible  to  supply  this  additional  service  without 
additional    expense. 


*  Since  the  writing  of  this  report  the  opening  of  branch  libraries  lias  been 
authorized. 


READING  PUBLIC   LIBRARY.  75 


TRAVELING   LIBRARY    EXTENSION    SERVICE. 

No  effort  has  been  made  to  supply  small  sets  of  series  of  books  on  special 
topics  to  clubs,  schools,  trade  unions  and  other  organizations. 

If  the  library  authorities  made  it  known  that  they  were  willing  to  supply 
this  service,  many  persons  would  be  glad  to  take  advantage  of  it.  These 
traveling  library  sets  should  be  loaned  for  only  a  limited  time,  subject  to 
the  same  rules  as  for  ordinarv  withdrawals. 


PICTURES  FOR  FREE  CIRCULATION. 

The  librarian  should  begin  to  make  collections  of  pictures  and  photo- 
graphs on  various  subjects,  such  as  history,  natural  history,  botany,  pictorial 
art,  mechanical  science,  chemistry,  literature,  music,  etc.  When  properly 
classified  and  arranged  they  should  be  loaned  to  teachers  for  class  instruction 
or  for  the  decoration  of  school  rooms  and  to  clubs  and  other  organizations 
having  any  use  for  them.  It  is  well  known  that  in  school  work  the  use  of 
a  few  well  chosen  illustrations  helps  materially  to  stimulate  interest.  Instead 
of  keeping  the  same  pictures  on  the  wall  until  the  children  get  tired  of  seeing 
them,  the  teacher  could  in  this  way  change  the  pictures  every  week.  Collec- 
tions of  stereoptican  views  or  slides  on  various  topics  of  universal  interest 
should  also  be  made.  The  advantage  of  having  such  material  where  it  is 
easily  available  for  the  use  of  any  citizen  or  organization  of  citizens  is  well 
worth  the   effort  necessary  to  acquire  it. 

MUNICIPAL  REFERENCE  LIBRARY. 

Although  the  Reading  Library  has  a  considerable  collection  of  works 
on  municipal  government  and  its  functions,  it  should  increase  the  size  of 
this  collection  and  broaden  its  scope.  With  the  growing  interest  which 
Reading  is  taking  in  municipal  afiairs,  reference  books  upon  these  subjects 
will  be  increasingly  in  demand. 

TECHNICAL  BOOKS  ADAPTED  TO   READING'S  INTERESTS. 

In  choosing  new  books  for  the  technical  section  of  the  library  the  com- 
mittee should  take  particular  care  to  provide  fully  for  Reading's  special 
industrial  interests.  It  is  vastly  more  important  to  have  a  well  chosen  selec- 
tion of  books  on  the  hosiery  and  knit  goods  industry  and  on  iron  and  steel 
working  than  on  other  industrial  subjects  in  which  Reading  is  not  directly 
interested. 

EDUCATIONAL  BOOKS  NEED   GROUPING. 

Although  the  library  has  a  large  number  of  books  on  pedagogical  sub- 
jects, they  are  not  properly  grouped  and  so  are  of  limited  value  to  teachers. 
A  special  section  of  books  on  educational  subjects  should  be  arranged. 
Publishers  of  school  books  are  usually  glad  to  furnish  copies  of  their  publica- 
tions free  of  charge   and  an  additional  collection  of  this  kind  would  be  of 


76  READING  PUBLIC  LIBRARY. 

real  practical  value  to  teachers  and  other  members  of  the  community.  It 
may  be  mentioned  that  a  teachers'  library  is  maintained  in  the  school  ad- 
ministration building. 

PROFESSIONAL,  MUNICIPAL  AND  TRADE  JOURNALS  LACKING. 

Although  the  periodicals  on  file  in  the  reading  room  of  the  library  cover 
a  wide  range  of  magazine  literature,  they  include  no  medical  or  legal  publica- 
tions and  but  few  school,  municipal  or  trade  journals.  A  different  selection 
of  periodicals  should  be  made  which  will  meet  the  diversified  interests  and 
needs   of  the   community. 

Federal  and  State  health  bulletins  and  municipal  bulletins,  such  as  the 
bulletin  of  the  Chicago  Health  Department,  the  Healthologist  of  the  Mil- 
waukee Department  of  Health,  the  weekly  bulletin  of  the  New  York  Depart- 
ment of  Health  and  a  score  of  others  may  be  procured  for  the  asking.  These 
bulletins  contain  a  great  wealth  of  health  information  which  would  be  of 
interest  and  benefit  to  citizens  in  every  kind  of  business  or  activity. 

MUSEUM  STARTED  ELSEWHERE. 

The  library  has  no  museum  or  art  gallery,  but  these  needs  are  being 
realized  for  the  city  through  the  museum  and  art  gallery  started  in  the  school 
administration  building. 


PUBLICITY 

MORE  PUBLICITY  NEEDED. 

Aside  from  the  occasional  publication  in  the  daily  news  of  a  list  of  books 
recently  bought,  the  various  facts  which  the  citizen  should  know  about  his 
library  are  not  brought  to  his  attention.  The  librarian  should  prepare  and 
circulate  bulletins  giving  information  about  the  service  the  library  wishes 
to  render  to  the  community,  and  news  articles  telling  special  groups  of  wor- 
kers, students,  etc,,  the  preparation  the  library  has  made  for  meeting  their 
needs.  Special  circulars  explaining  either  general  or  special  lines  of  library 
work  could  be  distributed  at  the  library  to  visitors  and  borrowers. 


Weiler's  Printing  House   <1^^D   440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  FOUR 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Water 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

NewJYork  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 

10  CENTS 


CONTENTS 


Page 
Summary    of    Criticisms    and    Constructive    Suggestions,    All    of    Which 

May  be  I  mmediately  Adopted  by  Council  79-84 

General  Administration    85 

Financial    Administration $7 

Operation  and  Maintenance  of  the  Waterworks  System X9 

Inspection 94 

Assessment  and  Collection  of  Rates  96 


WATER   DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  79 


WATER  DEPARTMENT 


SUMMARY    OF    CRITICISMS    AND    CONSTRUCTIVE 

SUGGESTIONS. 

GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION. 

The  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  is  unnecessary  and  should  be 
abolished. 

As  supplying  water  and  assessing  the  charges  for  it  are  distinct  functions 
— one  of  an  engineering  nature  and  the  other  financial — they  should  be 
separated  and  placed  under  the  administrative  control  of  Commissioners 
responsible  for  functions  of  a  similar  nature. 

The  technical  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Water  Supply  should  be  in  the 
hands  of  a  chief  engineer,  who  would  be  responsible  to  the  Commissioner 
of  Parks  and  Public  Property,  and  the  control  over  water  revenues  should 
be  exercised  by  a  registrar  reporting  to  the  Commissioner  of  Accounts  and 
Finance. 

Appointments  of  all  employees  should  be  made  by  Council  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  chief  engineer  or  the  registrar  after  approval  by  their 
respective  Commissioners.     Service  records  of  all  employees  should  be  kept. 

The  chief  clerk's  title  should  be  changed  to  Water  Registrar.  He  should 
be  required  to  assume  control  of  the  revenue  ledgers  and  other  important 
matters.  A  junior  clerk  should  be  appointed  to  look  after  detailed  clerical 
work. 

The  method  of  handling  complaints  is  unsatisfactory,  Complete  records 
of  all   complaints    should   be   made   and   proper   files    maintained. 

A  pamphlet  containing  all  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  department 
and  the  matters  affecting  the  supply  of  water  should  be  compiled  and  made 
available  to  consumers. 

FINANCIAL  ADMINISTRATION. 

The  financial  methods  of  the  Department  are  unsound.  Consumers  are 
paying  approximately  double  the  amount  it  costs  to  deliver  water.  Present 
profits  are  being  used  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations.  Over  $1,000,000 
of  profits  has  been  spent  during  the  past  ten  years  in  the  buying  of  property 
not  always  urgently  needed.  The  cost  of  such  improvements  should  be 
spread  over  a  period  up  to  thirty  years. 

Water  revenues  should  go  into  the  general  fund  of  the  city  and  the 
expenditures  of  the  Department  should  be  estimated  as  for  other  Depart- 
ments, and  should  be  subjected  to  the  same  scrutinity  before  appropriations 
are   made.     The   former   suggestion   may   need   State   legislation. 

Present  appropriations  are  limited  only  by  the  amount  of  rates  collected. 
Such  procedure  is  not  economical. 

Appropriations    for    park    purposes    should    not    be    made    out    of    water 


8o  WATER  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

revenues.  Funds  required  for  maintenance  of  park  properties  should  be 
appropriated  directly  to  the   Park  Department. 

The  financial  records  are  kept  on  a  disbursement  basis,  and  do  not  show 
liabilities   incurred  nor  contingent  obligations. 

The  cost  of  water  as  reported  is  incorrect  as  it  does  not  include  bills 
unpaid  at  end  of  fiscal  year,  nor  does  it  include  sinking  fund  installments. 

There  is  no  proper  general  ledger  showing  all  the  assets  and  liabilities 
of  the  Department,  nor  complete  operating  costs.  The  books  have  never  been 
audited. 

Expenditures  are  not  properly  classified.  A  definite  functional  classifica- 
tion of  expenditures  should  be  prepared  and  installed. 

Sinking  funds  are  not  scientifically  managed.  The  amount  set  aside 
yearly  for  the  redemption  of  bonds  have  been  inadequate. 

If  sinking  funds  had  been  properly  established  and  maintained  they  would 
have  amounted  to  over  $150,000  more  than  was  in  them  on  April  5th,  1913. 
One  fund  alone  was  over  $100,000  less  than  it  should  have  been  at  that  date. 

The  amounts  set  aside  for  sinking  fund  purposes  have  never  been  in- 
vested so  as  to  be  sufficiently  productive.  Sinking  fund  earnings  have 
amounted  to  only  about  half  as  much  as  they  should. 

Departmental  records  show  only  cash  'collections,  not  earnings.  Water 
rates  should  be  accrued  in  order  to  obtain  actual  revenues. 

There  is  rio  proper  system  of  control  over  water  revenues. 

OPERATION  AND  MAINTENANCE  OF  THE  WATERWORKS 

SYSTEM. 

From  an  engineering  standpoint  the  waterworks  system  is  in  excellent 
condition  and  shows   exceptionally  good  management. 

A  sanitary  patrol  should  be  provided  for  the  Maiden  Creek  watershed 
as  the  population  in  this  area  is  increasing  rapidly  and  the  water  shows  signs 
of  contamination. 

The  present  system  of  chlorination  is  inadequate.  A  chlorination  plant 
should  be  erected  and  operated  for  treating  the  water  after  it  has  passed 
through  the  filters. 

Statistics  of  pumping  are  inaccurately  stated  for  the  reason  that  no 
allowance  has  been  made  for  slippage.  Actual  pumping  costs  cannot  be 
obtained  except  when  a  proper  slippage  factor  is  taken  into  consideration. 

The  quantity  of  coal  consumed  at  the  pumping  station  warrants  its 
purchase  on  the  British  Thermal  Unit  basis.,  i.  e.,  according  to  its  heating 
value.  A  considerable  saving  could  have  been  effected  had  such  methods 
been  adopted. 

The  Department  has  recently  issued  an  order  for  the  purchase  of  pito- 
meter  apparatus  for  locating  water  waste.  This  should  have  been  purchased 
years  ago. 

Records  relating  to  hydrants  do  not  show  dates  of  inspection  nor  cost 
of  maintenance.  A  card  index  system  should  be  installed  covering  each 
and  every  hydrant. 

Steps  should  be  taken  to  keep  proper  records  of  subsurface  conditions 
disclosed  when  streets  are  opened  up. 

The   present  per   capita   consumption   of   141    gallons   daily   is   very   high 


WATER  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  81 

and  is  steadily  increasing.  Where  supplies  are  metered  and  pitometer  tests 
systematically  conducted  the  per  capita  consumption  seldom  exceeds  7° 
gallons  per  day. 

No  campaign  to  prevent  the  waste  of  water  has  ever  been  conducted 
in  Reading.  Waste  of  water  adds  greatly  to  the  cost  of  operation  and  makes 
the  rates  higher  for'  every  consumer.  Approximately  30  per  cent,  of  the 
water   distributed   in    Reading   is   unaccounted   for.  • 

A  house  to  house  inspection,  supplemented  by  proper  tests  for  leaks 
and  waste,  is  recommended. 

One-third  of  the  water  consumed  is  supplied  through  meters.  The  meter- 
ing of  all  supplies  would  prevent  water  waste,  reduce  the  cost  of  distribution 
and  lower  rates  to  consumers.  Measurement  by  meter  is  the  only  equitable 
basis  on  which  to  supply  water. 

All  meters  should  be  owned  by  the  city.  The  consumer,  however,  should 
pay  a  nominal  fee  to  cover  the  cost  of  installation. 

Meters  now  in  service  are  well  maintained  and  methods  of  installation 
are  in  advance  of  most  cities. 

A  system  of  card  records  should  be  installed  at  the  meter  testing  station, 
which  would  show  costs  and  particulars  relating  to  purchase,  installation, 
and  maintenance  of  a  meter. 

The  sealing  of  meters  has  been  entirely  neglected.  Such  conditions 
prevent  proper  control  over  revenues. 

The  storehouse  and  yards  are  ample  and  well  managed.  The  records 
of  stores,  however,  need  revision,  and  a  card  record  to  provide  a  continuous 
inventory  of  stock  on  hand  should  be  installed. 

The  practice  of  inspecting  cast  iron  pipe  and  fittings  at  the  foundries, 
abandoned  because  of  inefficiency  of  inspection  in  the  past,  should  be 
re-established  and  maintained  by  competent  inspectors. 

The  cost  records  now  maintained  show  only  direct  costs  of  labor  and 
material.  No  proper  allowance  is  made  to  cover  overhead  charges.  This 
results  in  construction  and  repair  costs  being  understated. 

INSPECTION. 

Only  by  properly  controlled  inspection  can  water  revenues  be  safe- 
guarded. In  Reading  no  one  knows  whether  all  the  revenue  that  is  due 
to  the   city  is  actually  being  charged  and   collected. 

Steps  should  be  taken  to  systematize  inspection  work  by  the  installation 
of  proper  records  and  supervision  of  inspectors. 

It  is  not  physically  possible  for  the  two  present  inspectors  to  do  the 
necessary  inspection  work. 

Inspection  districts  are  too  large  and  inspection  duties  are  not  appor- 
tioned in  accordance  with  a  definite  plan. 

Water  revenues  could  be  increased  by  adding  to  the  number  of  inspectors 
and  definitizing  their  duties. 

Inspection  records  are  in  such  shape  as  to  make  it  impossible  to  ascertain 
whether  inspection  work  is  being  carried  on  efficiently  or  not. 

No  check  is  made  of  the  data  afforded  by  plumbers  upon  application  for 
new  supplies.  Much  revenue  is  lost  through  lack  of  proper  inspection  of 
plumbers'  work. 


82  WATER  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


A  house  to  house  inspection  is  now  being  made  by  one  man.  This  work 
should  be  expedited  by  the  assignment  of  additional  men. 

Roof  tanks  should  be  inspected  periodically  to  determine  whether  they 
conform  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Department.  Much  waste  of 
water  can  be  prevented  by  such  procedure.  Tanks  used  for  domestic  pur- 
poses should  be  inspected  as  to  cleanliness. 

ASSESSMENT  AND  COLLECTION  OF  RATES. 

Present  charges  for  water  have  no  scientific  basis. 

Schedule  rates  are  based  not  upon  amount  of  water  used  but  upon  the 
opportunity  to  use  water,  resulting  in  discrimination  against  the  careful  user 
and  encouragement  to  the  wasteful  consumer.  The  only  equitable  method 
of  supplying  water  is  by  meter. 

Meters  should  be  installed  gradually;  not  by  compulsion,  but  by  reducing 
the  rates  for  water  supplied  by  meter.  This  will  encourage  users  to  request 
the  installation  of  meters. 

It  is  suggested  that  on  and  after  January  1st,  1914,  no  new  supplies  should 
be  afforded  except  on  meter  basis. 

The  present  sliding  scale  of  meter  rates  has  no  relation  to  the  cost  cf 
supplying  the  water.  The  charges  now  range  from  30  cents  to  2  2/10  cents 
per  hundred  cubic  feet.  A  standard  rate  of  5  cents  or  6  cents  per  100  cubic 
feet  to  all  consumers,  large  and  small  alike,  would  produce  sufficient  revenue 
to  cover  all  operating  expenses,  maintenance  charges,,,  and  interest  and  sink- 
ing fund  installments  on  bonds. 

A  minimum  rate  on  metered  supplies,  based  on  the  size  of  the  meter  to 
cover  the  "readiness  to  serve"'  cost,  is  recommended.  For  small  meters  a 
minimum  rate  of  75  cents  to  $1.00  per  quarter  would  be  ample.  For  larger 
meters  the  amount  should  be  proportionately  higher. 

Water  used  by  all  city  departments,  schools,  fire  houses,  etc.,  should 
be  metered  and  paid  for  by  means  of  an  appropriation  to  the  several  depart- 
ments. 

The  use  of  water  for  street  sprinkling  and  flushing  is  not  under  proper 
control.  The  levying  of  tribute  by  fire  companies  and  other  street  sprinklers 
is  too  unbusinesslike  a  proceeding  for  a  city  of  Reading's  size. 

The  contractor  who  flushes  the  streets,  gets  the  water  he  uses  for  nothing, 
is  paid  by  the  city  for  his  services  and  also  collects  tribute  from  property 
owners  in  some  sections.  The  citizens  would  save  money  if  these  services 
were  performed  by  a  city  department. 

The  practice  of  exempting  contractors  performing  public  work  from 
paying  for  the  water  they  use  should  be  discontinued. 

Charitable  institutions  should  be  charged  standard  rates  for  water 
supplied.  If  the  city  desires  to  contribute  towards  such  institutions  it  should 
be  done  by  direct  appropriations  in  the  annual  budget;  it  is  not  a  proper 
charge  against  the  Water   Department. 

No  rentals  are  received  for  tire  hydrants.  Tt  is  recommended  that  the 
city  pay  Jo  the  Water  Department  an  annual  rental  sufficient  to  cover  the  cost 
of  installation,  maintenance,  and  inspection  of  all  hydrants  in  service,  and 
also  of  the  estimated  quantity  of  water  used.  Owners  of  manufacturing 
plants   having   private   sources   of  water   supply,   obtain   fire   protection   from 


WATER   DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. jfc 

the  city  without  cost  to  themselves.     The  method  suggested  would  place  the 
cost  of  fire  protection  on  the  property  protected. 

Charges  for  water  supplied  for  building  purposes  should  be  based  on 
the  amount  of  water  used  in  the  construction  work  and  not  on  the  super- 
ficial area  occupied  by  the  building  and  the  number  of  stories. 

Contractors'  estimates  should  not  be  accepted  blindly  by  the  Department 
as  at  present.  Such  practices  result  in  loss  of  revenue.  Charges  should  be 
collected  in  advance. 

The  reduction  of  fifty  cents  for  the  second  bath,  on  the  same  premises, 
is  not  warranted.  Reading's  charges  for  such  supplies  are  below  the  average 
rate  charged  in  all  the  leading  cities.  A  standard  rate  should  be  charged 
for  each  and  every  bath  without  regard  to  the  number  on  any  premises. 

Much  of  the  water  wasted  in  Reading  occurs  in  leaking  water  closets. 
The  present  charge  for  such  supplies  should  be  increased  to  $2.50  per  annum, 
which  is  the  average  charge  in  the  larger  cities. 

The  present  system  of  adding  a  higher  penalty  for  non-payment  of 
schedule  rates  than  for  meter  rates  is  inequitable,.  It  is  recommended  that 
the  penalty  be  made  consistent  on  all  rates. 

Allowances  in  respect  to  vacant  premises  are  not  well  regulated.  No 
allowance  should  be  made  where  premises  are  supplied  on  a  flat  rate  basis 
unless  notice  in  writing  is  given  to  the  Department  to  turn  off  the  water, 
and  a  small  fee  paid  before  it  is  turned  on  again.  Where  the  supply  is 
metered  the  minimum  rate  should  be  charged  as  long  as  the  meter  remains 
on  the  service. 

A  nominal  fee  should  be  paid  for  turning  on  and  shutting  off  water,  for 
the  inspection  of  plumbers'  work,,  the  installation  of  meters  and  similar  ser- 
vices performed  for  consumers.  Services  rendered  for  the  benefit  of  in- 
dividuals should  be  paid  for  by  these  and  not  by  the  water  rate  payers  as 
a  whole. 

The  use  of  hose  for  any  purpose  should  be  prohibited  except  in  cases 
where  the  supply  is  metered. 

The  collection  of  rates  should  be  simplified.  It  is  recommended  that 
schedule  rates  be  collected  annually  in  advance.  This  would  place  water  rates 
on  the  same  basis  as  city  taxes  and  would  be  a  decided  convenience  to  most 
property  owners  who  could  thus  pay  their  taxes  and  water  rents  at  one  time. 
Tt  would  reduce  the  work  on  schedule  rates  in  the  Treasurer's  and  Water 
Clerk's  offices  by  one-half,  and  also  save  half  the  time  of  the  inspectors  in 
delivering  bills. 

The  collection  of  overdue  rates  by  inspectors  should  be  stopped.  They 
should  be  paid  to  the  City  Treasurer  as  all  other  rates. 

The  schedule  rate  ledgers  are  very  unsatisfactory.  There  is  no  control 
over  the  entries  made  in  them.  Any  adjustment  or  even  the  complete 
elimination  of  a  rate  could  be  made  with  only  a  very  slight  chance  of  detection. 
There  is  nothing  to  show  why,  when  or  by  whom  a  charge  is  reduced  or 
eliminated.     No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  balance  any  of  the  ledgers. 

The  meter  revenue  ledgers  are  not  properly  controlled,  and  cannot  be 
in  their  present  form.     They  have  never  been  properly  balanced. 

Loose  leaf  ledgers  should  be  installed  to  control  schedule  rates  and  a 
code  should  be  established  for  all  accounts,  bills,  files,  etc.     The  form  of  code 


84 WATER  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

recommended  would  be  capable  of  unlimited  expansion  and  could  be  worked 
in  conjunction  with  any  record  to  be  installed. 

Meters  are  read  and  accounts  rendered  too  frequently.  The  reading  of 
large  meters  every  month  should  be  continued.  There  is  no  need,  however, 
to  read  small  meters  more  often  than  once  each  quarter.  The  monthly  bills 
now  rendered  are  mostly  for  trifling  amounts.  There  is  no  need  to  trouble 
citizens  by  rendering  such  accounts  so  frequently.  If  this  recommendation 
were  carried  out,  practically  two-thirds  of  the  work  connected  with  meter 
reading  and  with  the  preparing  and  collecting  of  meter  accounts  would  be 
eliminated. 

The  form  of  meter  reading  sheets  now  in  use  permits  the  inspector, 
if  he  so  desires,  to  estimate  the  quantity  of  water  consumed  without  going 
near  the  premises  where  the  meter  is  located. 

The  present  system  of  entirely  erasing  an  entry  on  the  ledgers  when  an 
allowance  is  made  prevents  any  control  over  adjustment  once  they  are  passed. 
The  entering  of  additional   charges  in  pencil  also  requires  attention. 

Lack  of  supervision  over  inspectors'  readings  of  meters  results  in  loss 
of  revenue.  Reports  of  meters  "not  read"  should  be  followed  up  by  the 
office  force. 

No  control  is  exercised  over  permits  issued.  The  issuing  of  all  revenue 
permits  can  be  checked  and  efficiently  audited  by  means  of  properly  printed 
stationery. 

The  revenue  from  hose  supplies  depends  entirely  upon  an  inspection  that 
is  admitted  to  be  inadequate. 

The  present  rules  of  the  Department  covering  the  use  of  hydrants  are 
frequently  disregarded,,  with  a  consequent  loss  of  revenue  and  danger  to 
the  community.  Unauthorized  persons  tampering  with  hydrants  may  make 
them  useless  when  urgently  needed  for  fire  purposes. 

The  recent  ordinance  compelling  the  metering  of  all  automatic  sprinkler 
systems  will  aid  in  preventing  the  unauthorized  use  of  water. 

Plumbers  should  be  required  to  obtain  permits  before  connecting  new 
supplies  or  making  additions  or  alterations  to  existing  fixtures.  None  but 
licensed  plumbers  should  be  allowed  to  do  this  work. 

There  is  no  proper  co-operation  between  the  Building  Inspector  and  the 
Water  Department.  If  the  Building  Inspector  reported  on  all  plans  lodged 
with  him  it  would  be  possible  to  compel  builders  and  plumbers  to  take  out 
permits  before  beginning  work. 

No  permanent  records  are  kept  of  violations   created  by  plumbers. 

The  revenue  office  is  well  equipped  with  time  and  labor  saving  devices, 
but  they  should  be  electrically  driven  instead  of  being  operated  by  hand. 

Proper  filing  and  storage  vault  facilities  are  needed.  A  central  filing 
system  should  be  established.  The  revenue  ledgers  should  be  protected 
from  fire. 


WATER  DEPARTMENT  85 


WATER  DEPARTMENT 


CRITICISMS  AND    CONSTRUCTIVE    SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ADMINISTRATION,  MAINTENANCE,  IN- 
SPECTION AND  THE  ASSESSMENT 
AND  COLLECTION  OF  RATES. 


GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION 

ORGANIZATION  SHOULD  BE  CHANGED  AND  RESPONSIBILITY 
CENTRALIZED. 

The  Water  Department  is  governed  by  a  Board  of  Water  Commissioners 
consisting  of  four  members,  one  from  each  of  the  four  city  districts.  The 
Operation  of  the  Department  is  under  the  direction  of  a  Superintendent 
and  Engineer,  while  its  revenues  are  controlled  by  a  Chief  Clerk  at  City  Hall. 

The  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  is  unnecessary.  It  should  be 
abolished,  and  the  Department  put  under  the  immediate  jurisdiction  of 
Council.  It  should  be  divided  into  two  main  divisions,  the  Bureau  of  Water 
Supply,  to  be  managed  by  the  Commissioner  of  Parks  and  Public  Property, 
and  the  Bureau  of  Water  Revenue,  to  be  controlled  by  the  Commissioner 
of  Accounts  and  Finance.  If  the  distinct  functions  of  supplying  water  and 
of  assessing  charges  for  it  were  each  under  an  administrative  head,  the 
public  would  know  to  whom  it  should  look  for  results  and  whom  to  hold 
responsible  for  inefficiency.  The  technical  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Water 
Supply  should  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  General  Superintendent  and  En- 
gineer, who  would  be  responsible  to  the  Commissioner  of  Parks  and  Public 
Property.  The  immediate  control  over  the  Bureau  of  Water  Revenues  should 
be  exercised  by  a  Registrar,  who  would  report  to  the  Commissioner  of 
Accounts  and  Finance.  These  two  subordinate  officials  should  be  appointed 
on  the  recommendation  of  their  Commissioners,  subject  to  the  approval  of 
Council  as  a  whole. 

APPOINTMENT   OF   PERSONNEL  UNSATISFACTORY. 

While  the  Council  should  appoint  all  employees  of  the  Water  Department 
it  should  not  appoint  any  one  in  the  Bureau  of  Water  Supply  except  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  Superintendent,  after  approval  of  the  Commissioner 
responsible  for  the  successful  operation  of  the  waterworks  system.  Similarly 
all  employees  in  the  Bureau  of  Water  Revenue  should  be  recommended  by 
the  Water  Registrar  and  approved  by  the  Commissioner  of  Accounts  and 
Finance,  before  their  appointment  is  submitted  to  Council. 

As  no  efficiency  records   of  employees  are  kept,  only  those  who  come 


86  WATER  DEPARTMENT 


into  personal  contact  with  them  can  judge  of  their  merit.  The  Superintendent 
or  Registrar  should  have  a  voice  in  the  promotion  of  efficient  employees. 
In  the  past,  promotions  have  not  usually  been  based  on  merit. 

INCREASED   STAFF  NEEDED   IN   REVENUE   OFFICE. 

It  is  not  economical  for  the  chief  clerk  to  print  and  make  out  bills,  as 
such  work  can  be  performed  by  a  junior  clerk  at  one-third  the  cost.  The 
chief  clerk  should  be  freed  from  detailed  work,  and  should  be  required  to 
perform  duties  of  a  more  responsible  nature,  some  of  which,  like  the  con- 
trolling of  the  revenue  ledgers,,  are  not  now  performed  by  any  one.  The 
appointment  of  a  junior  clerk  is  recommended. 

COMPLAINTS  NOT  PROPERLY  RECORDED. 

The  method  of  handling  complaints  is  unsatisfactory.  The  only  record 
now  maintained  is  that  the  inspector  to  whose  district  the  complaint  refers, 
after  making  the  inspection,  makes  a  memorandum  in  a  complaint  diary 
stating  the  nature  of  the  trouble.  Unless  the  date  of  any  particular  complaint 
is  known,  it  is  difficult  to  trace  it.  It  is  a  useless  waste  of  time  for  a  revenue 
inspector  to  investigate  complaints  involving  leaks,  waste,  lack  of  pressure, 
dirty  water,  etc.,  which  can  be  handled  better  through  the  Superintendent's 
office. 

Complete  reports  on  all  complaints  should  be  made  and  kept  in  proper 
files  in  the  clerk's  office.  Complainants  should  be  duly  notified  of  the  result 
of  the  investigation  at  their  request.  A  card  record  of  complaints  by  loca- 
tions should  also  be  kept  to  prevent  having  two  investigations  of  one  com- 
plaint made.  All  complaints  referring  to  one  piece  of  property  should  be 
recorded  together.  The  clerk  responsible  for  the  complaint  records  should 
prepare  a  report  at  the  end  of  each  month  showing,  under  proper  classifica- 
tions, the  number  of  the  various  complaints  as  follows: 

Complaints  unsettled  at  the  beginning  of  the  month. 

Complaints   received  during  the  month. 

Complaints  settled  during  the  month. 

Complaints   remaining  unsettled  at  the.  end  of  the  month. 

The  date  of  the  oldest  unsettled  complaint  should  also  be  stated.  Com- 
parison of  the  complaints  of  one  year  with  another  often  proves  valuable. 
Such  a  report  would  give  the  head  of  the  Department  sufficient  information 
for  judging  whether  complaints  are  being  properly  handled  or  allowances 
too  freely  made. 

COMPLETE  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  SHOULD  BE  PRINTED. 

In  the  course  of  the  survey,  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  obtain  a 
complete  up-to-date  list  of  all  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Department 
affecting  the  supply  of  water  and  other  matters  incidental  to  it.  It  would  be 
a  step  in  the  right  direction  to  compile  and  issue  a  complete  set  of  rules 
and  regulations  based  on  those  already  tried  and  found  satisfactory  in  some 
of  the  larger  cities.  These  should  be  printed  in  pamphlet  form  together 
with   other  facts   and   information  which  the   consumer   should   know.       The 


WATER  DEPARTMENT  87 

pamphlet  which  has  already  been  prepared  on  the  sources  of  supply  should 
be  supplemented  by  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Department,  an  article 
on  waste  of  water  and  its  cost  to  the  consumer,,  explanation  as  to  reading 
of  a  water  meter,  a  few  facts  relating  to  the  proper  sprinkling  of  lawns,  and  in- 
struction as  to  what  to  do  in  case  of  breaks  in  mains,  lack  of  pressure  and 
other  emergencies. 


FINANCIAL  ADMINISTRATION 

FINANCIAL  METHODS  NOT  SOUND. 

Efficient  management  of  the  public  waterworks  should  endeavor  to 
charge  only  the  cost  of  service  rendered;  not  to  take  any  advantage  of  the 
citizen  to  make  a  profit. 

The  present  consumers  in  Reading  are  not  only  paying  for  water 
approximately  double  the  amount  it  costs,  but  are  also  giving  to  future 
generations  the  present  profits.  During  the  past  ten  years  alone  considerable 
over  $1,000,000  has  been  taken  from  the  profits  from  the  water  service,  in 
addition  to  $500,000  provided  by  bonds,  and  used  for  the  purchase  of  new 
equipment  or  for  the  acquisition  or  constuction  of  properties.  This  policy 
is  undoubtedly  doing  much  to  retard  Reading's  progress.  Consumers  should 
at  least  challenge  a  procedure  which  takes  away  from  them  in  one  year  the 
cost  of  improvements  which  should  be  spread  over  a  period  of  at  least  thirty 
years,  as  it  is  largely  an  expenditure  for  the  benefit  of  future  generations. 

These  financial  methods  are  beginning  to  cause  trouble.  Bills  amounting 
to  many  thousands  of  dollars  are  being  held  up,  because  the  Board  has  no 
money  to  meet  them  and  the  sinking  funds  have  also  suffered  from  the  lack 
of  proper  appropriations. 


APPROPRIATIONS  LIMITED  ONLY  BY  AMOUNT  OF  REVENUE. 

The  expenditures  of  the  Water  Department  for  a  fiscal  period  consist 
practically  of  the  estimated  revenues  for  that  period.  As  the  revenues  are 
steadily  increasing,  this  results  in  anything  but  economy.  Such  appropriations 
as  are  required  for  operation,  maintenace,  and  fixed  charges  on  bonds  are 
set  aside;  after  this  the  balance  of  the  revenues  is  spent  for  construction 
work.  Approximately  $100,000  over  and  above  the  cost  of  operation  and 
maintenance  has  been  spent  each  year  for  the  last  ten  years  in  the  acquisition 
of  properties  not  always  urgently  needed.  While  such  acquisitions  as 
additional  land  for  watershed  purposes  may  be  desirable,  they  probably  would 
not  have  been  bought  under  ordinary  circumstances.  The  financial  system 
of  this  Department  should  follow  exactly  the  same  procedure  as  that  of 
the  other  departments.  The  revenues  it  collects  should  be  turned  into  the 
city  treasury,  and  the  expenses  it  must  meet  should  be  paid  by  appropriations 
based  on  the  usual  itemized  estimates  and  subjected  to  the  usual  scrutinity. 
This  method  of  keeping  water  revenues  distinct  from  other  city  revenues 
should  be  avoided.  It  may  be  necessary  for  State  legislation  to  be  passed 
to  make   this   effective. 


88 WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

WATER  DEPARTMENT  SHOULD  NOT  PROVIDE  PARK 
APPROPRIATIONS. 

For  many  years  the  Councils  have  appropriated  out  of  the  water 
revenues,  the  sum  of  $2,500  a  year  for  the  maintenance  of  Mineral  Spring 
Park,  which  was  at  one  time  Water  Department  property,  but  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Park  Department  in  1893.  Funds  for  this  purpose  should  be 
appropriated  directly  to  the  .Park  Department,  as  it  has  sole  jurisdiction 
over  the  maintenance   of  the  property. 

WATER  EXPENDITURES  NOT  CORRECTLY  REPORTED  NOR 
CLASSIFIED. 

The  records  of  expenditures  are  kept  on  a  disbursement  basis  and  do 
not  show  all  expenditures  incurred.  Last  year  over  $10,000  of  bills  for 
materials  supplied  or  services  performed  remaining  unpaid  at  the  end  of 
the  fiscal  year  were  not  included  in  the  annual  statement.  This  makes  the 
cost  of  water  reported  still  further  inaccurate.  The  cost  had  already  been 
understated,  owing  to  the  exclusion  of  the  sinking  fund  instalments  which, 
being  in  the  nature  of  depreciation  charges,  should  have  been  included  as 
part  of  supplying  water. 

There  is  no  proper  general  ledger  showing  the  assets  and  liabilities  of 
the  Department  nor  the  operating  expenses,  maintenance  charges,  and  fixed 
charges  on  bonded  indebtedness.  The  Assistant  Superintendent  opens  a 
book  each  year,  primarily  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  data  for  the  annual 
report,  which  contains  accounts  relating  to  labor  and  material,  but  no  fixed 
assests  or  liability  accounts.  It  is  kept  on  single  entry  and  is  posted  directly 
from  bills  and  payrolls  without  any  intermediate  entry  in  a  subsidiary  journal. 
No  audit  of  the  books  has  ever  been  made. 

Expenditures  are  not  properly  classified.  In  several  cases  there  is  too 
much  detail,  in  others  not  enough.  A  definite  functional  classification  of 
expenditures  should  be  prepared  and  installed. 

SINKING   FUNDS   NOT  SCIENTIFICALLY   MANAGED. 

It  is  evident  that  whoever  was  responsible  for  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  the  present  sinking  funds  had  no  practical  knowledge  of  the 
customary  methods  of  handling  such  important  matters.  The  amount  set 
aside  each  year  for  the  redemption  of  the  bonds  has  never  been  adequate, 
nor  have  such  charges  been  equitably  spread  over  the  period  between  the 
issue  and  the  maturity  of  each  series  of  bonds.  Moreover,  the  amounts  that 
were  appropriated  have  never  been  properly  invested.  Until  the  year  1912 
they  were  merely  deposited  in  banks  and  drew  only  2  per  cent,  interest.  On 
June  28,  1912,  $100,000  was  transferred  from  the  deposit  accounts  and  invested 
in  city  bonds;  this  was  the  first  investment  of  sinking  funds.  On  April  5, 
1913,  over  $36,000  remained  on  deposit  with  banks  uninvested,  and  drawing 
only  2  per  cent,  interest,  when  is  could  have  been  earning  4  per  cent.  If  the 
sinking  fund  had  been  properly  established  and  maintained,  there  would 
have  been  over  $160,000  more  with  sinking  funds  than  there  was  on  April  5, 
1913.  One  sinking  fund  alone,  that  provided  for  the  bonds  falling  due  July  I, 
1920,  is  over  $100,000  short  at  this  date.  These  deficits  will  have  to  be 
provided  for  out  of  future  profits  and  will  represent  an  excess  charge  against 


WATER  DEPARTMENT  8q 


future  years  which  would  have  been  quite  unnecessary  had  proper  arrange- 
ments been  made. 

WATER  REVENUES  NOT  SHOWN  ON  DEPARTMENTAL 
RECORDS. 

There  is  no  proper  system  of  revenue  ledger  and  journals  which  would 
disclose  the  Department's  earnings.  The  change  in  the  city's  fiscal  year  would 
be  a  good  time  to  begin  having  the  water  rates  during  each  fiscal  period 
properly  accrued  so  as  to  show  the  actual  revenues.  The  only  figures  now 
available  are  those  relating  to  collections. 

It  is  essential  that  the  water  revenues  should  be  adequately  controlled 
both  by  efficient  inspection  and  also  by  a  system  of  internal  checks.  The 
Comptroller,  in  his  new  capacity  as  City  Auditor,  should,  if  possible,  make 
a  detailed   audit  of  these   revenues. 


OPERATION  AND  MAINTENANCE  OF  THE 
WATERWORKS  SYSTEM 

WATERWORKS  SYSTEM   EFFICIENTLY   MANAGED. 

The  survey  of  the  waterworks  of  the  City  of  Reading,  embracing  the 
watershed,  the  filtration  plants,  the  pumping  stations,  the  store  yards  and 
the  meter  testing  station,  has  disclosed,  from  an  engineering  standpoint,  an 
exceptionally  well  managed  undertaking.  The  General  Superintendent 
deserves  great  credit  for  the  excellent  physical  condition  of  the  entire 
system. 

CHLORINATION  NEEDED  TO  SUPPLEMENT  FILTRATION. 

The  water  supply  for  the  entire  city  is  filtered,  with  the  exception  of  the 
small  supply  derived  from  Hampden  Spring  and  Hampden  Drift;  the  latter 
is  in  no  danger  of  becoming  contaminated  because  of  the  inaccessibility  of 
the  region  from  which  it  comes. 

The   process   of  filtration  in  use   is   the   slow  sand  filter  type,   a  type   in 

which  no  chemicals  are  employed  to  destroy  bacteria.     The  process,,  which 

has  many  good  points  in  its  favor,  has  been  successfully  used  all  over  the 

aq;  jo  spaau  9q;  jaaui  'j3.\3Moq  '}ou  saop  }t     -Xj;unoD  present    situation    in 

Reading. 

In  view  of  the  489  cases  of  typhoid  fever  which  have  been  reported  in 
the  past  ten  and  one-half  months,  and  of  the  presumptive  evidence  of  B.  Coli 
in  the  water  obtained  from  Maiden  Creek,  both  before  and  after  filtration 
(as  determined  by  laboratory  test),  it  would  be  advisable  to  erect  and  operate 
a  chlorinating  plant  for  treating  the  water  after  it  has  passed  through  the 
filters. 

From  the  records  available  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  what  proportion 
of  the  489  typhoid  cases,  if  any,  can  be  attributed  to  polluted  water.  The 
recommendation  for  systematic  treatment  is  urged  as  a  preventative  measure. 
The  cost  would  be  nominal.  At  the  present  time  the  Maiden  Creek  supply 
is,  to  a  very  limited  degree,  being  treated  with  hypochlorite  of  lime. 


90  WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

The  additional  filter  beds  recently  completed  are  excellent  in  design 
though  of  somewhat  costly  construction. 

MORE  PROTECTION   NEEDED   FOR  MAIDEN   CREEK 
WATERSHED. 

The  State  Board  of  Health  supervises  and  patrols  all  watersheds  from 
which  a  supply  of  drinking  water  is  drawn.  The  City  Water  Department  also 
supervises  and  patrols  Antietam  Creek;,  Bernhard  Creek,  Egelman  Creek, 
Hampden  Springs  and  Hampden  Drift.  It  does  not,  however,  patrol  the 
Maiden  Creek  watershed,  which  is  twenty  times  greater  in  area  than  all  the 
other  watersheds  put  together,  and  is  the  only  one  showing  contamination 
of  the  water  at  the  present  time.  The  constant  increase  of  population  within 
this  watershed  makes  closer  supervision  more  and  more  necessary.  It  is 
recommended  that  the  Department  provide  a  sanitary  patrol  over  the  Maiden 
Creek  watershed  in  addition  to  the  patrol  kept  up  by  the  State  Board. 

COST  OF  PUMPING  NOT  ACCURATELY  COMPUTED. 

According  to  the  reports  for  the  last  five  years,  the  cost  of  pumping  per 
million  gallons  has  decreased  yearly.  The  report  for  1912-1913  gives  $4.87 
as  the  cost  per  million  gallons  pumped,  computed  on  a  total  pumpage  of 
3,119,035,444  gallons.  No  allowance,  however,  has  been  made  for  pump 
slippage  in  estimating  the  cost. 

Actual  pumping  costs  are  obtainable  only  when  the  correct  amount  of 
slippage  is  taken  into  consideration.  Slippage  tests  are  also  valuable  as  a 
check  on  defective  valves,  leaky  suction  lines,  etc. 

Tests  made  in  Philadelphia  some  years  ago  showed  a  slippage  of  the 
pumps  of  the  various  stations  varying  from  8  per  cent,  to  56  per  cent,  with 
an  average  of  25  per  cent,  for  all  stations. 

Nearly  3,000  tons  of  bituminous  coal  at  $2.75  per  gross  ton  were  consumed 
last  year  at  the  Maiden  Creek  Pumping  Station.  No  analyses  of  this  were 
made  to  determine  its  composition  and  heat  value.  A  saving  undoubtedly 
would  have  been  effected  had  such  analyses  been  made. 

SUGGESTIONS   FOR   IMPROVING   DISTRIBUTION   SYSTEM 
AND  RECORDS. 

The  need  of  tests  to  locate  leaks  in  the  mains  is  admitted,  and  the 
Department  is  buying  the  necessary  apparatus  for  making  them.  This  should 
prove  a  profitable  investment,  if  the  apparatus  is  used  efficiently. 

A  card  record  of  all  the  services  maintained  by  the  Department,,  would 
be  useful,  as  would  a  card  index  of  hydrants  showing  the  location,  type,  cost 
of  installation  and  maintenance,  dates  of  inspection,  etc.  At  the  present 
time  such  records  are  kept  in  book  form  and  are  not  readily  available. 

Records  of  sub-surface  conditions,  disclosed  when  streets  are  opened  for 
the  laying  or  repairing  of  mains,  would  in  time  become  very  valuable  if 
properly  maintained  and  indexed  by  locations. 


WATER  DEPARTMENT. 91 

PER  CAPITA  CONSUMPTION  TOO  HIGH. 

In  a  city  partially  metered,  as  Reading  is,  the  daily  consumption  per 
capita  should  not  exceed  100  gallons  a  day.  In  Reading  it  is  141  gallons, 
and  is  steadily  increasing.  During  the  last  year  it  increased  six  gallons  per 
capita  per  day.  Such  conditions  can  be  and  must  be  changed.  A  systematic 
campaign  against  waste  in  New  York  City  resulted  in  a  reduction  in  the 
daily  consumption  per  capita  from   123  gallons  to  95  gallons. 

In  a  city  where  all  supplies  are  metered  and  where  pitometer  tests  are 
made  to  locate  leaks  in  the  mains,  the  daily  consumption  per  capita  seldom 
exceeds   70  gallons   per  day. 

Reading  cannot  afford  to  neglect  the  conservation  of  all  its  resources. 
With  the  growth  of  the  city  the  need  for  water  will  also  increase. 

NEED  FOR  WASTE  PREVENTION   CAMPAIGN. 

No  systematic  campaign  for  preventing  the  waste  of  water  has  been 
conducted  in  Reading.  This  work  might  be  carried  on  in  connection  with 
the  house-to-house  inspection  now  being  made  for  revenue  purposes.  It 
will  be  necessary  for  more  men  to  be  assigned  to  this  work,  if  an  examina- 
tion of  all  fixtures  for  leaks  and  waste  is  to  be  made  within  a  reasonable 
time.  A  strict  "follow  up"  system  should  be  installed  in  order  to  stop 
waste  on  consumers'  premises.  If  the  department  were  to  exercise  the 
powers  it  already  possesses  under  ordinances  of  Councils,  and  were  to  fine 
consumers  who  waste  water,  it  could  soon  adjust  improper  conditions  while 
also  increasing  its  revenues. 

Although  the  department  has  at  present  no  apparatus  for  detecting  leaks 
in  mains,  it  has  recently  issued  an  order  for  the  purchase  of  a  pitometer 
outfit  by  which  existing  conditions  may  speedily  be  corrected. 

Competent  authorities  estimate  that  from  25  per  cent,  to  60  per  cent, 
of  all  water  supplied  on  an  unmetered  basis  is  wasted.  Waste  adds  greatly 
to  the  cost  of  water,  and  makes  the  rates  higher  for  every  consumer. 
Every  citizen  who  allows  water  to  be  wasted,  places  an  unnecessary  burden 
not  only  upon  himself  but  upon  every  other  consumer  and  delays  the  day 
when  an  abundant  supply  of  pure  water  for  every  legitimate  purpose  can  be 
furnished  to  every  one  at  the  lowest  "possible  cost.  Wasted  water  would 
prove  a  source  of  both  profit  and  accommodation  if  allowed  to  remain  in 
the  reservoirs  or  mains  until  needed.  Few  people  realize  that  a  leak  as 
small  as  one  thirty-second  of  an  inch,  at  thirty  pounds  pressure,  will  waste 
50,000  gallons  of  water  a  year,  and  a  leak  of  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  will 
waste  about  208,000  gallons. 

Approximately  30  per  cent,  of  the  water  distributed  in  Reading  is  un- 
accounted for,  comparing  the  situation  with  average  conditions  in  other 
cities.     The  consumers  are  paying  100  per  cent,  of  the  cost  for  70  per  cent. 

COMPLETE   METERING  OF  SERVICE   RECOMMENDED. 

Owing  to  constant  adverse  criticism  from  all  sides  and  to  the  disap- 
proval of  Councils,  the  Water  Board  became  disheartened  in  its  efforts 
to   meter  all   services   in   the   city.      Nevertheless,   the   metering  of   all   water 


92  WATER  DEPARTMENT. 


services  is  without  doubt  the  most  progressive  step  that  any  municipal 
water  department  can  take.  Only  .ignorance  of  the  benefits  resulting  from 
complete  metering  keeps  Reading  from  taking  this  necessary  step.  At 
present  practically  nothing  is  being  done  to  extend  the  installation  and  use 
of  meters  throughout  the  city.  Efforts  should  be  made  to  make  the  installa- 
tion of  meters  more  popular.  The  reduction  of  charges  for  water  supplied 
by  meter  would  undoubtedly  be  a  move  in  this  direction. 

Experience  has  shown  that  the  installation  of  meters  saves  money  not 
only  to  the  consumer  but  also  to  the  city.  Measurement  by  meter  is  the 
only  equitable  basis  on  which  to  supply  water.  The  use  of  meters  saves 
the  supply  by  preventing  waste,  which  not  only  reduces  the  cost  of  distribu- 
tion, but  also  postpones  the  necessity  for  costly  extensions  and  additions 
to  the  distributing  system  and  pumping  plants.  If  the  operating  expenses 
were  reduced,  the  department  could  afford  to  reduce  rates  still   further. 

At  the  present  time  about  20  per  cent,  of  the  services  are  metered, 
although  331/-,  per  cent,  of  the  water  consumed  is  supplied  through  meters. 
The  number  of  meters  now  in  service  is  slightly  over  four  thousand,  2900 
of  which,  or  nearly  three-fourths,  have  been  installed  since  1903. 

The  majority  of  the  meters  are  owned  by  the  city,  but  the  cost  of  install- 
ing them  has  to  be  paid  by  the  consumer.  This  is  as  it  should  be,  as  it  is 
the  only  plan  under  which  a  city  can  fully  control  metered  services.  The 
Superintendent  is  conducting  endurance  tests  of  meters  and  is  preparing  for 
the  day  when  Reading  will  be  as  enlightened  in  the  metering  of  supplies 
as  are  the  more  progressive  cities.  For  some  time  past  the  department 
has  based  its  purchases  of  meters  on  the  actual  results  of  endurance  tests- 
(due  allowance  being  made  for  repairs  and  unreliability),  in  order  that  the 
city  may  get  the  best  meters  at  the  lowest  possible  prices. 


METERS   IN   SERVICE  WELL  MAINTAINED. 

Although  Reading  has  not  installed  meters  to  any  great  extent,  those 
that  have  been  installed  show  very  good  results.  All  meters  set  within  the 
last  fifteen  years  have  been  provided  with  test  tees  which  enables  them  to 
be  tested  without  removal  from  services.  Very  few  cities  have  looked  so 
far  ahead  in  this  regard. 

Meters  are  tested  on  an  average  of  once  in  three  years.  The  last 
general  test  of  meters  was  made  in  1907,  when  all  meters  in  service  over  three 
years  were  tested.     The  following  is  the  result  of  the  test: 

325  registered  normal  or  slightly  over 

117  registered  bet.  95  per  cent,  and  100  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

26  registered  bet.  90  per  cent,  and    95  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

9  registered  bet.  85  per  cent,  and    90  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

12  registered  bet.  80  per  cent,  and    85  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

9  registered  bet.  75  per  cent,  and    80  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

10  registered  bet.  70  per  cent,  and    75  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

6  registered  bet.  65  per  cent,  and    70  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 

3  registered  bet.  60  per  cent,  and    65  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 


WATER  DEPARTMENT.  93 


i  registered  bet.  55  per  cent,  and  60  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 
1  registered  bet.  50  per  cent,  and  55  per  cent,  of  water  passing  through 
1   registered  only  47  per  cent. 

520  Total  meters  tested. 

The  department  has  a  well  equipped  meter  repair  shop  which  is  doing 
good  work  at  very  reasonable  cost. 

In  some  one  place,  preferably  at  the  meter  testing  station,  there  should 
be  a  system  of  card  records  giving  particulars  of  the  installation  of  each 
meter,  with  all  tests,  changes,  repairs,  violations,  etc.,  relative  to  it. 

PROTECT  REVENUES  BY  SEALING  METERS. 

The  sealing  of  meters  which  effectively  safeguards  the  revenue,  has 
been  entirely  neglected.  Any  one  can  now  take  out  a  meter  and  replace 
it  in  service  at  any  time  without  the  knowledge  of  the  department.  Such 
conditions  do  not  give  proper  control  over  revenues.  Cases  have  been 
noted  in  Reading  where  meters  have  been  entirely  disconnected,  a  small 
piece  of  pipe  inserted  in  the  place  of  the  meter  and  water  used  without  the 
department  being  any  the  wiser.  All  meter  connections  should  be  sealed 
with  the  new  kind  of  brass  seal  which  does  away  with  the  necessity  for 
carrying  around  the  press  which  is  necessary  when  lead  seals  are  used. 

STOREHOUSE  AND  YARDS  AMPLE  AND  WELL  MAINTAINED. 

The  storcyards  controlled  by  the  department,  which  are  being  enlarged, 
will  be  ample  for  all  requirements  for  many  years  to  come.  The  methods 
of  storing  and  handling  pipe  and  fittings  are  commendable,  and  excellent 
facilities  for  the  transportation  of  material  and  supplies  are  provided. 

There  is.  however,,  no  continuous  inventory  of  supplies  on  hand,  and 
the  accounting  control  over  stores  is  somewhat  weak.  It  is  recommended 
that  a  system  of  stock  record  cards  be  installed,  and  the  forms  and  reports 
be  revised  in  accordance  with  the  most  approved  methods. 

MATERIAL  SHOULD  BE  INSPECTED  AT  FOUNDRIES. 

Inspection  of  materials  at  foundries  and  other  places  where  they  are 
manufactured  is  not  being  made  at  present,  the  practice  having  been 
abandoned  because  of  the  inefficiency  or  incompetency  of  inspectors  in  the 
past.  The  thorough  inspection  of  all  materials,  which  should  include  the 
inspection  of  ingredients  and  of  parts  often  hidden  in  the  completed  article. 
can  be  made  most  effectively  during  the  process  of  manufacture.  It  is 
recommended  that  the  system  of  foundry  inspection  by  competent  men  be 
re-established.  If  the  amount  of  work  is  not  extensive  enough  to  warrant 
the  employment  of  a  permanent  inspector,  there  are  qualified  agencies  that 
make  such  inspections  for  a  nominal  fee. 

JOB  COSTS  SHOULD  INCLUDE  OVERHEAD   CHARGES. 

The  job   cost   records   now  kept   show   only   the   direct   cost   of  material 


94 WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

and  labor.     The  indirect  expenses   or  overhead  charges,  recorded  separately  v 
under  the   heading   of  general   maintenance   charges,   should   be   apportioned 
to  each  job  in  order  that  accurate  costs  may  be  obtained.     Construction  costs 
are  now  underestimated  by  the  present  methods. 


INSPECTION 

INSPECTION   INADEQUATE  AND  UNSYSTEMATIC. 

The  water  revenues  of  a  city  depend  to  a  very  great  extent  upon  effi- 
cient inspection.  It  is,  therefore,  almost  incredible  that  no  steps  by  the 
Water  Department  have  been  taken  to  make  systematic  inspections. 

Only  by  properly  controlled  inspection  can  water  revenues  be  safe- 
guarded. In  Reading,  no  one  knows  now  whether  all  the  revenue  that  is 
due  is  actually  being  charged  and  collected. 

It  is  physically  impossible  for  the  present  small  force  of  two  men  to 
make  as  many  inspections  as  are  needed.  The  staff  must,  therefore,  be 
increased.  This  should  not  be  looked  upon  as  an  additional  expense,  be- 
cause it  is  really  an  investment.  Two  or  even  three  more  inspectors  doing 
efficient  work  could  add  several  times  their  salaries  to  the  revenues  each 
year.  The  two  inspectors  in  the  Water  Department  are  assisted  by  four 
additional  men  (three  laborers  and  one  caulker)  in  reading  meters  for 
five  days  a  month.  This  would  be  unnecessary  if  the  work  were  spread 
evenly  throughout  the  month.  Aside  from  meter  reading,  the  inspection 
work  now  being  performed  by  the  department  arises  generally  from  com- 
plaints made  by  consumers.  This  work  and  the  delivery  of  bills  takes  up 
about  one-half  of  their  time.  For  the  other  half  they  have  no  definite  work 
and  wander  around  ineffectively  "looking  for  trouble."  There  is  much 
necessary  work  that  they  might  be  doing  in  this  spare  time.  For  instance, 
they  might  check  up  the  data  given  by  plumbers  in  applying  for  new  sup- 
plies. The  particulars  submitted  by  plumbers  are  now  accepted  without 
inspection,  on  the  assumption  that  the  plumbers  would  not  make  false 
statements  because  they  would  subject  themselves  to  fines  for  so  doing. 
There  is  no  record  of  any  such  fines  ever  being  collected  from  plumbers. 
Undoubtedly  the  department  loses  much  revenue  by  these  lax  methods  which 
efficient  inspection  would  correct. 

INSPECTION  DISTRICTS  TOO  LARGE  AND  WORK  LACKS  SUPER- 
VISION. 

By  law  the  department  is  divided  into  four  districts.  Each  inspector 
*ies  to  cover  two  districts,  but  owing  to  the  great  area  to  be  covered  it 
is  almost  impossible  for  him  to  do  really  efficient  work.  Each  inspector, 
however,,  is  supposed  to  be  responsible  for  all  improper  conditions  in  his 
district,  although  he  cannot  cover  more  than  a  small  area  within  a  limited 
time. 

There  is  no  plan  whatever  for  distributing  the  inspection  work  through- 
out the  year.  The  meters  are  read  at  the  end  of  each  month;  this  creates 
a  "peak-load"  both  for  the  inspectors  and  the  office,  when  some  four  thou- 
sand bills  have  to  be  prepared  and  sent  out  in  the  course  of  two  or  three 
days.     There   is   no   reason   why  both   the    clerical   and   the   inspection   work 


WATER  DEPARTMENT.  95 


cannot  be  equalized  by  having  a  certain  number  of  meters  read  each  day. 
Steps  should  be  taken  to  plan  and  properly  apportion  the  inspection  work. 

The  inspectors  are  required  to  work  eight  hours  per  day  and  to  re- 
spond to  emergency  calls  at  all  other  times.  They  report  for  duty  at  the 
office  each  morning,  except  when  engaged  on  meter  reading  work.  It  is 
impossible,  however,  to  trace  or  communicate  with  inspectors  while  at  work 
in  the  field  except  when  they  call  up  the  office  by  telephone.  The  route 
sheets  used  by  many  municipalities  is  an  admirable  method  of  keeping  track 
of  work  in  the  field. 

There  is  no  supervision  whatever  over  inspection  work,  the  whole  matter 
being  left  entirely  to  the  inspectors  themselves. 

The  two  regular  inspectors  are  provided  by  the  city  with  a  uniform 
and  badge  to  prove  their  identity,  but  the  extra  men  assigned  each  month 
for  meter  reading  work  are  not  so  provided  for. 

INSPECTION  RECORDS  NEED  REVISION. 

From  the  present  record  it  is  not  possible  to  ascertain  whether  the 
inspection  work  is  being  carried  on  efficiently  or  not.  If  the  inspection 
is  to  be  really  valuable  to  the  department,  it  will  be  necessary  to  install 
a  complete  system  of  inspection  records. 

The  inspectors  are  not  provided  with  proper  forms,  which  would  facili- 
tate their  work,  and  they  do  not  report  to  the  office  on  all  matters  for 
which  some  record  is  needed.  No  permanent  record  of  inspection  is  kept; 
the  reports  the  inspectors  do  turn  in  are  not  properly  filed  nor  indexed 
in  any  way. 

The  inspectors  should  be  provided  with  small  aluminum  binders  con- 
taining proper  meter  reading  sheets  and  standard  blank  forms  of  the  various 
notices,  records  and  reports  which  they  are  called  upon  to  make  in  the  field. 
Such  an  arrangement  would  be  more  satisfactory  and  sanitary  than  the 
present  mass  of  forms  and  papers  now  carried  by  each  inspector. 

Inspectors  are  not  now  required  to  turn  in  proper  reports  showing  the 
work  performed  by  them  during  each  day.  This  should  be  remedied  as  soon 
as  possible.  All  daily  reports  should  be  summarized  and  tabulated  in  order 
to  facilitate  comparison  of  the  work  and  the  efficiency  of  inspectors.  A 
monthly  report  of  work  each  inspector  has  performed  should  be  prepared 
from  these  records  and  submitted  by  the  chief  clerk  to  the  Board  of  Water 
Commissioners. 

HOUSE  TO  HOUSE  INSPECTION  SHOULD  BE  EXPEDITED. 

It  has  been  the  policy  of  the  department  to  begin  a  periodical  house  to 
house  inspection  about  every  five  years.  Such  an  inspection  was  begun  in 
last  February  and  is  now  being  made.  Previous  inspections  have  been 
made  by  a  corps  of  at  least  four  men;  the  present  examination  is  being 
made  by  one  man  only.  It  will  take  this  man  very  many  months  to  make 
a  thorough  inspection  of  the  twenty-two  thousand  premises  now  supplied 
with  water.  As  this  work  will  result  in  an  increase  in  revenue,  it  should 
be  completed  as  soon  as  possible,  so  as  to  avoid  further  loss. 


96  WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

SUGGESTIONS    FOR    IMPROVING    INSPECTION    SERVICE. 

Although  the  inspectors  supervise  to  some  extent  the  use  of  fire  hydrants, 
there  is  a  feeling  that  proper  steps  are  not  being  taken  to  remedy  such 
violations  as  are  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  department.  It  is  very  im- 
portant that  fire  hydrants  should  not  be  used  except  for  specific  purposes. 

The  roof  tanks  on  some  of  the  higher  buildings  of  the  city  are  not  in- 
spected now.  While  most  of  them  are  used  only  for  fire  purposes,  a  few  are 
used  in  connection  with  the  domestic  services  in  the  house.  They  should  all 
be  inspected  to  see  whether  they  conform  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of 
the  department  as  to  automatic  shut-offs  and  waste  of  water,  and  those 
used  for  domestic  purposes  should  also  be  inspected  as  to  cleanliness. 

The  inspectors  are  well  supplied  with  mechanical  devices  to  help  them 
in  their  work,  all  of  which,  except  a  pair  of  pliers,  is  supplied  by  the  depart- 
ment. 


ASSESSMENT  AND  COLLECTION  OF  RATES 

SCHEDULE  RATES  HAVE  NO  SCIENTIFIC  BASIS. 

The  present  schedule  rates  are  based  not  upon  the  amount  of  water 
used  but  upon  the  opportunity  to  use  it.  Such  a  system  discriminates 
against  the  careful  user  and  encourages  the  wasteful  one.  The  conscientious 
consumer,  who  would  not  waste  water  in  any  event,  has  a  meter  installed 
because  he  can  save  money  by  it>  as  he  keeps  his  plumbing  in  good  shape. 
The  careless  consumer  naturally  prefers  the  schedule  rate  basis,  and  con- 
tinues to  waste  water.  This  arrangement  reduces  only  the  revenue,  and 
not  the  amount  of  water  used. 

No  gas  or  electric  light  undertaking  would  think  for  one  moment  of 
offering  unlimited  service  on  a  flat  rate  basis,  as  the  Water  Department  of 
Reading  still  continues  to  do.  It  is  a  generally  accepted  proposition  in 
commercial  circles  that  commodities  should  be  paid  for  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  used. 

There  seems  to  be  but  one  solution  of  the  present  inequity  of  the 
charges  for  water,  which  is  the  installation  of  a  meter  on  each  and  every 
service.  This  should  be  done  gradually,  not  by  making  metered  service 
compulsory  but  by  reducing  the  rates  for  water  supplied  by  meter,  so  that 
consumers  will  ask  to  have  meters  installed  on  their  services. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  urged  that  no  further  supplies  should  be  in- 
stalled on  a  fiat  rate  basis.  A  start  has  to  be  made  at  some  time.  It  is 
suggested  that  on  and  after  January  1st,  1914,  no  new  service  should  be 
supplied  except  through  a  meter. 

NO  JUSTIFICATION  FOR  METER  RATES  ON  SLIDING  SCALE. 

The  present  sliding  scale  of  meter  rates  has  no  relation  to  the  cost  of 
supplying  the  water,  and  there  is  consequently  no  justification  for  it. 

It  costs  Reading  approximately  2fi/10  cents  for  each  100  cubic  feet  of 
water  distributed.  The  present  scale  of  meter  charges  ranging  from  30 
cents  to  2*yi0  cents  per  100  cubic  feet  is  manifestly  absurd.     These  are  par- 


WATER  DEPARTMENT. 97 

ticularly  unjust  to  small  consumers.  The  city  is  now  supplying  water  to 
large  consumers  at  less  than  it  costs,  and  charging  small  consumers  twelve 
times  what  it  costs. 

The  only  fair  way  of  charging  for  water  is  to  have  all  supplies  metered 
and  to  charge  a  standard  rate  per  ioo  cubic  feet  to  all  consumers,  large  and 
small  alike.  A  standard  rate  of  5  or  6  cents  per  ioo  cubic  feet  would  prob- 
ably produce  sufficient  revenue  to  cover  all  operating  expenses,  mainte- 
nance charges  and  fixed  charges  on  bonds. 

MINIMUM   RATE   ON   METERED   SERVICE  ADVISABLE. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  minimum  rate  be  established  for  water  sup- 
plied through  a  meter.  This  minimum  rate  should  be  based  on  the  size  of 
the  meter,  and  should  also  cover  the  "readiness  to  serve"  cost  incurred  by 
the  city  whether  the  water  is  used  or  not.  It  is  desirable  that  this  minimum 
rate  should  be  fixed  high  enough  to  prevent  consumers  from  trying  to  econ- 
omize on  water  at  the  expense  of  cleanliness  and  the  general  health  of 
the  community.  For  the  small  meters  a  quarterly  minimum  rate  of  75 
cents  to  $1.00  would  cover  all  reasonable  use  of  water,  while  for  the  larger 
meters  the  amount  would  be  proportionately  higher. 

PUBLIC  AND  SEMI-PUBLIC  USE  OF  WATER  SHOULD   BE  PAID 
FOR. 

The  water  used  by  all  city  departments,  schools,  fire  houses,  etc.,  is 
now  metered.  It  should  be  paid  for  at  the  standard  rate  out  of  the  city 
taxes;  each  department  should  include  in  its  budget  an  item  covering  the 
cost  of  the  quantity  of  water  it  expects  to  use.  These  supplies,  which  are 
for  the  general  benefit  of  the  community,  should  be  paid  for  by  the  tax- 
payers, not  by  the  water  rate  payers. 

It  may  not  be  possible  to  obtain  exact  figures  of  water  used  for  park 
purposes  and  through  fire  hydrants,,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  such  supplies 
cannot  be  fairly  accurately  estimated  and  paid  for  accordingly. 

The  use  of  water  for  street  flushing  and  sprinkling  (except  for  house- 
holders who  pay  for  water  by  meter  measurement)  is  not  under  proper 
control.  Fire  companies  do  not  pay  for  the  water  they  use  although  they 
collect  from  owners  for  sprinkling  the  streets  in  front  of  their  properties. 
The  contractor  who  flushes  the  streets  gets  all  water  for  nothing,  is  paid 
by  the  city  for  his  services  and  also  collects  tribute  from  the  property  owners 
in  some  sections.  The  citizens  would  save  money  if  these  services  were  per- 
formed by1  a  city  department.  In  any  event,  the  Water  Department  should 
receive  credit  for  the  supply  furnished  for  such  purposes.  Under  clauses  in 
the  contracts,  contractors  for  public  works  are  frequently  exempted  from 
paying  for  water  they  use.  This  practice  which  is  countenanced  by  the  City 
Engineer,  should  be  stopped. 

Organizations  formed  for  semi-public  purposes,  such  as  charitable  insti- 
tutions, hospitals,  churches,  parochial  schools,  homes  and  other  institutions 
are  practically  exempted  from  paying  for  the  water  they  use,  as  they  are 
charged  only  one  dollar  a  year.  It  would  be  more  satisfactory  to  charge 
this  class  of  consumers  the  standard  rates  on  the  actual  quantity  of  water 


WATER  DEPARTMENT. 


used.  If  the  city,  from  charitable  or  other  motives,  desires  to  pay  all  or 
part  of  these  bills,  it  should  be  done  by  an  appropriation  made  to  the  or- 
ganizations for  this  purpose. 

DEPARTMENT  SHOULD  RECEIVE  HYDRANT  RENTALS. 

According  to  the  last  annual  report  of  the  department,  there  were  985 
hydrants  located  at  various  points  throughout  the  city.  For  these  no 
revenue  whatever  is  received  from  the  city.  The  cost  of  the  installation  and 
of  the  water  supplied  to  these  hydrants,  as  well  as  the  inspection  and 
maintenance  of  them,  is,  therefore,  borne  by  the  water  rate  payers. 

Several  of  the  large  manufacturing  plants,  however,  have  their  own 
artesian  wells  or  other  private  sources  of  supply  and  take  little  or  no  water 
from  the  city.  The  owners  of  such  properties  contribute  little  or  nothing 
to  the  department's  revenue  and  are,  therefore,  obtaining  fire  protection 
without  cost  to  themselves,,  at  the  expense  of  the  water  rate  payers. 

In  order  to  remedy  this  condition  it  is  recommended  that  the  city  pay 
to  the  Water  Department,  by  means  of  an  appropriation  either  directly  or 
through  the  Fire  Department,  an  annual  rental  sufficient  to  cover  the  cost 
of  installation,  maintenance  and  inspection  for  each  and  every  hydrant  in 
service,  and  also  the  cost  of  the  water  used.  Only  by  these  means  can  the 
charge  for  fire  protection  be  placed  where  it  properly  belongs,  namely,  on 
the  property  protected.  If  this  suggestion  were  carried  out,  the  appro- 
priation would  be  included  in  the  budget  and  would  form  a  part  of  the  tax 
rate  on  property  valuations.  This  procedure  would  naturally  help  to  reduce 
the  price  of  water  to  consumers  and  would  relieve  them  of  a  burden  which 
they  should  not  be  called  upon  to  bear. 

SUPPLIES    FOR    BUILDING    PURPOSES    NOT    PROPERLY    AS- 
SESSED. 

The  present  charges  for  water  supplied  for  building  purposes  are  based 
on  the  superficial  area  occupied  by  the  building  and  by  the  number  of  stories 
it  has.  The  charges  should  be  based  on  the  quantity  of  masonry,  bricks, 
concrete,  plaster,,  etc.,  used  in  the  construction  of  the  building,  in  the 
setting  or  preparation  of  which  water  is  used. 

The  contractors'  estimates  should  not  be  accepted  blindly  by  the  depart- 
ment as  they  are  at  present,  nor  should  charges  be  collected  after  the 
building  is  completely  erected.  Such  practices  mean  loss  of  revenue.  These 
charges  should  be  collected  in  advance,  as  in  other  cities,  and  should  be 
based  on  estimated  quantities  figured  from  the  original  plans.  After  the 
building  is  completed  a  further  inspection  should  be  made,  and  if  necessary, 
a  supplementary  charge  may  be  collected  to  cover  any  deficiency  in  the 
original  estimate  or  change  in  plans.  Receipts  in  4he  form  of  permits 
should  be  issued  for  all  collections  for  water  used  for  building  purposes. 
Such  permits  should  be  produced  for  the  inspection  of  any  employee  of  the 
department,  or  of  the  police,  on  demand. 

No  charges  have  been  made  for  boilers  used  by  contractors  in  connec- 
tion with  building  operations,  owing  to  the  supposition  that  water  for  this 
purpose  was  included  in  the  charge  for  building  purposes.     It  will  be  readily 


WATER  DEPARTMENT.  99 


seen  that  water  used  for  such  boilers  is  additional  to  that  used  for  building 
(purposes,  and  should  be  paid  for  accordingly. 

CHARGES   FOR    BATHS   AND   WATER    CLOSETS    NEED   ADJUST- 
MENT. 

There  seems  to  be  no  good  or  sufficient  reason  why  the  same  rate 
should  not  be  charged  for  every  bath  where  there  are  more  than  one  on 
the  same  premises.  The  reduction  of  50  cents  on  the  second  bath  does  not 
seem  to  be  warranted,  especially  as  it  is  below  the  average  rate  charged 
in  other  cities.  In  the  ten  largest  cities  in  the  country,  the  average  rate 
charged  for  water  closets  is  $2.41  and  for  baths  $2.45.  It  is  suggested  that 
an  average  rate  of  $2.50  be  established  for  all  baths  and  that  the  same  amount 
be  charged  for  all  water  closets  in  private  residences,  apartment  houses  or 
tenements,  irrespective  of  the  number  there  may  be  on  any  given  premises. 
The  present  rate  for  water  closets  is  $2.00  per  annum.  This  is  too  low 
when  it  is  considered  that  the  bulk  of  water  waste  occurs  in  toilets  in  private 
dwellings  and  tenement  houses,  where  quite  a  small  leak  may  waste  $10  to 
$12  worth  of  water  a  year. 

PENALTIES  FOR  NON-PAYMENT  OF  RATES  ARE  INCONSISTENT. 

The  present  system  of  adding  a  higher  penalty  to  schedule  rates  than  to 
meter  rates  is  inequitable,  especially  as  schedule  rates  are  payable  in  ad- 
vance and  meter  rates  are  not  until  some  months  after  the  water  has  been 
used.  By  the  present  plan,  a  penalty  of  5  per  cent,  is  added  to  bills  for 
schedule  rate  accounts  if  not  paid  before  the  16th  of  January  and  of  July, 
with  a  second  penalty  in  case  of  continued  default.  To  bills  for  meter  rate 
accounts,  a  penalty  of  5  per  cent,  is  added  to  bills  unpaid  on  the  15th  of 
January,  April,  August  and  October,  but  no  additional  penalty  is  imposed. 

It  is  urged  that  the  penalty  be  made  the  same  on  all  rates,  namely,  that 
5  pei  cent,  be  added  to  all  accounts  remaining  unpaid  14  days  after  they  are 
due  and  payable,  and  that  a  further'  5  per  cent,  be  added  to  those  remaining 
unpaid  one  month  after  they  are  due  and  payable.  In  computing  the  penalty 
on  all  bills  containing  fractions  of  one  dollar,  the  penalty  should  be  imposed 
as  though  each  fraction  were  a  dollar.  If  payment  is  not  received  on  or 
before  the  hour  of  closing  on  the  date  specified  the  penalty  should  be 
imposed.  Failure  to  receive  a  bill  should  not  entitle  the  owner  or  con- 
sumer to  the  remission  of  the  penalty.  A  ruling  should  also  be  made  to 
the  effect  that  the  water  supply  may  be  shut  off  where  the  charge  remains 
unpaid  ten  days  after  it  is  payable,  and  that  a  charge  of  one  dollar  will  be 
made 'and  collected  before  the  water  is  turned  on  again. 

RATES  FOR  VACANT  PREMISES  NOT  PROPERLY  REGULATED. 

The  allowance  to  owners  of  vacant  premises  is  not  well  regulated.  Most 
cities  make  no  such  allowances  as  long  as  the  water  is  turned  on  ready  for 
use,  on  the  ground  that  the  water  rate  is  a  tax  subject  to  regulations  similar 
to  those  covering  general  taxes. 

It  is  suggested  that  no  allowance  be  made  in  vacant  premises  supplied 


ioo WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

on  a  flat  rate  basis  unless  notice  in  writing  is  given  to  the  department  to 
turn  off  the  water.  In  this  case  a  charge  of  $1.00  must  be  paid  before  the 
water  is  turned  on  again. 

In  the  case  of  premises  supplied  by  meter,  the  minimum  rate  should  be 
charged  as  long  as  the  meter  remains  on  the  service.  The  minimum  rate 
should  be  remitted  only  when  written  notice  is  given  to  the  department  to 
turn  off  the  water  and  to  remove  the  meter.  Under  such  circumstances 
the  consumer  should  pay  the  cost  of  resetting  the  meter  when  the  service 
is  again  installed,  plus  the  sum  of  $1.00  to  cover  the  cost  of  the  previous 
removal. 

CHARGES  SHOULD  BE  MADE  FOR  ALL  SERVICES  RENDERED. 

There  is  no  reason  why  a  nominal  charge  should  not  be  made  for  the 
turning  on  and  shutting  off  of  water,,  for  the  inspection  of  plumbers'  work, 
the  installation  of  meters  and  similar  services  performed  for  consumers. 
Other  cities  make  such  charges  and  are  able  to  collect  enough  money  to  cover 
the  cost  incurred.  Services  rendered  for  the  benefit  of  individuals  should 
be  paid  for  by  them  and  not  by  the  water  rate  payer  as  a  whole. 

SUPPLY  SHOULD   BE  METERED  WHEN   HOSE  IS  USED. 

The  use  of  hose  for  any  purpose  should  be  prohibited  except  where  the 
water  is  supplied  through  a  meter.  Much  water  is  being  wasted  now 
through  the  lack  of  such  regulation.  The  present  charge  of  $3.00  a  year  for 
this  use  is  inadequate  in  many  cases. 

COLLECTION  OF  RATES  SHOULD  BE  SIMPLIFIED. 

Water  rates  are  now  payable  directly  to  the  City  Treasurer  at  his  office 
in  city  hall.  This  is  an  excellent  procedure.  In  order  to  simplify  the  collec- 
tion of  rates,  it  is  suggested  that  the  18,000  schedule  rates  be  made  due  and 
payable  annually,  in  advance,  on  the  first  day  of  January  in  each  year, 
instead  of  semi-annually.  This  would  place  water  rates  on  the  same  basis 
as  city  taxes  and  would  be  a  decided  convenience  to  most  property  owners, 
who  could  thus  pay  their  taxes  and  water  rents  at  one  time.  It  would,  re- 
duce the  work  on  schedule  rates  in  the  Treasurer's  and  the  Water  Clerk's 
offices  by  one-half,  and  also  save  half  the  time  of  inspectors  in  delivering 
bills. 

The  collection  of  rates  through  the  Treasurer  should  apply  to  all  water 
rates.  Overdue  rates  are  often  collected  by  inspectors.  While  the  number 
and  amount  of  rates  so  collected  is  small,  it  is  not  a  good  principle  to  allow 
inspectors  to  act  as  collectors.  This  field  collection  is  quite  unnecessary 
and    should   be   dispensed   with. 

Meter  accounts  should  be  due  as  rendered  and  should  be  payable  on 
or  before  the  first   day  of  the   following  month. 

It  should  be  distinctly  understood  that  all  charges  made  are  subject 
to  such  addition  or  deduction  as  subsequent  examination  by  the  depart- 
ment may  show  is  necessary. 

A  comparative  monthly  report  should  be  prepared  with  the  object  of 
keeping  the  Water  Board  posted  as  to  the  collections  of  water  revenue.    This 


WATER  DEPARTMENT 


should   be    prepared   by    the    Chief    Clerk,    countersigned   by   the    Treasurer, 
and  submitted  to  the  Board  at  its  first  meeting  after  the  close  of  each  month. 

SCHEDULE  RATE  LEDGERS  UNSATISFACTORY. 

The  present  schedule  rate  ledgers  are  large,  cumbersome  books  con- 
taining forty-three  accounts  on  each  page.  As  the  ledgers  are  ruled  at 
present,  they  have  to  be  written  up  every  three  years.  This  operation 
takes  approximately  two  months.  These  ledgers  show  detailed  particulars 
of  the  annual  charge  for  each  service.  Many  of  these  details  have  been 
entered  in  pencil,  and  most  pages  contain  several  alterations  of  figures. 
Whenever  a  rate  is  reduced,  the  particulars  of  the  fixtures  taken  out  are 
erased  from  the  ledger.  While  the  arrangement  by  street  and  house  num- 
ber is  fairly  satisfactory,  at  times  accounts  have  to  be  interlined  in  order 
to  keep  them  in  their  proper  location.  It  would  be  preferable  to  keep 
the  account  relating  to  each  supply  on  a  separate  loose-leaf  sheet.  This 
need  be  only  about  one-third  the  size  of  the  present  ledger  sheet,  and  would 
not  have  to  be  written  up  more  frequently  than  once  in  twenty  years. 
This  would  make  it  possible  to  keep  a  complete  consecutive  record  of  all 
the  action  taken  with  reference  to  any  supply. 

Another  very  vital  matter  in  regard  to  these  ledgers  is  the  total  lack  of 
control  over  the  entries  made  in  them.  It  would  be  an  easy  matter  now 
for  almost  any  adjustment  or  even  complete  elimination  of  a  rate  to  be 
made  with  only  a  very  slight  chance  of  detection,  as  there  is  nothing  to 
show  why,  when  or  by  whom  a  charge  was  reduced.  These  ledgers  should 
be  put  under  proper  control  without  delay.  No  attempt  has  ever  been 
made   to   balance   any    of   the    ledgers.     This    should   be    done    every    month. 

METER   REVENUE   LEDGERS   SHOULD   BE   IMPROVED. 

The  meter  revenue  ledgers  are  not  properly  controlled,  and  cannot  be 
in  their  present  form.  They  have  never  been  properly  balanced.  Loose 
leaf  ledgers  are  used,  but  at  least  one-half  of  each  sheet  is  wasted,  and 
not  all   necessary  particulars  of  each  supply  can  be  found  on  the  sheets. 

REVENUE  LEDGER  ACCOUNTS  SHOULD  BE  CODED. 

It  is  very  essential  that  a  code  covering*  consumers'  accounts  should  be 
established.  This  code,,  which  can  be  readily  compiled,  should  be  used  not 
only  in  connection  with^the  arrangements  of  accounts  in  the  revenue  led- 
gers, but  also  for  the  card  index  to  services,  general  files,  etc.  It  could  also 
be  used  on  all  bills  rendered  to  consumers.  Some  code  is  essential,  if  an 
adding  machine  is  to  be  used.  The  form  of  code  that  is  recommended  would 
be  capable  of  unlimited  expansion,  and  could  be  worked  in  conjunction  with 
any  record  which  has  been  examined  in  the  course  of  this  survey. 

METERS  READ  AND  ACCOUNTS  RENDERED  TOO  FREQUENTLY. 

It  is  stated  that  all  meters  are  read  once  each  month.  As  there  are 
over  four  thousand  meters  in  service  at  present,  this  is  quite  a  task.  Such 
frequent    reading   is    not    considered    necessary    in    progressive    cities.      Verv 


WXtfER  DEPARTMENT 


few  bills  now  rendered  amount  to  more  than  one  dollar.  If  the  larger 
meters  were  read  once  each  month  and  the  small  meters,  on  which  the 
revenue  is  trifling,  were  read  once  each  quarter,  it  would  cut  out  practically 
two-thirds  of  the  work  connected  with  meter  reading  and  with  preparing 
and  collecting  meter  accounts,  and  would  also  be  more  convenient  to  citi- 
zens.    The  time  thus  saved  could  be  used  to  much  better  purpose. 

The  form  of  meter  reading  sheets  now  in  use  is  wrong  in  principle  as 
it  contains  from  one  to  thirty-six  previous  meter  readings  by  means  of 
which  the  inspector  can,,  if  he  so  desires,  estimate  the  quantity  of  water 
consumed  without  going  near  the  premises  where  the  meter  is  located.  The 
average  number  of  meters  read  by  the  inspectors  (160  per  day)  appears 
very  high  and  is  not  consistent  with  careful  meter  readings.  As  there  is  no 
supervision  over  the  readings,  except  such  check  as  the  inspectors  them- 
selves make  on  their  work,  considerable  revenue  is  lost.  Approximately 
eight  to  ten  per  cent,  of  the  meters  which  the  inspectors  are  required  to 
read  are  reported  "not  read"  for  various  reasons.  This  percentage  is 
rather  high.  Inspectors  so  inclined  can  easily  shirk  their  work  under  such 
conditions.  The  reports  of  meters  "not  read"  should  be  closely  followed 
up  by  the  orifice  force.  A  code  should  be  prepared  and  established  for  the 
use  of  inspectors  reporting  defects  they  discover  when  inspecting  meters. 
In  New  York  City  a  list  of  over  fifty  things  which  may  be  wrong  with  a 
meter  has  been  drawn  up;  all  of  which  may  directly  affect  the  revenue  ob- 
tained from  metered  supplies. 


ADJUSTMENT  OF  RATES  NOT  PROPERLY  CONTROLLED. 

Allowances  for  over-charges  are  made  on  the  report  of  inspectors.  These 
reports,  however,  are  not  kept  in  such  a  manner  that  they  can  be  referred 
to  subsequently;  and  as  the  particulars  of  the  supply  on  the  books  are 
erased  when  an  allowance  is  made,  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  practically 
no  check  can  be  obtained  over  adjustments  that  have  once  been  passed. 
A  permanent  chronological  record  of  adjustments  should  be  maintained; 
instead  of  erasures  being  made  on  the  ledgers,  the  particulars  of  the  supply 
should  be  clearly  corrected  in  red  ink,  with  a  reference  to  the  adjustment 
authority,  in  which  full  particulars  as  to  the  reason  for  changes  could  be 
found. 


ISSUANCE  OF  PERMITS  NOT  UNDER  PROPER  CONTROL. 

No  control  is  exercised  over  permits  issued  for  cash,  or  otherwise. 
The  issuing  of  all  revenue  permits  should  be  checked  by  the  use  of  properly 
printed  stationer}'.  Permits  covering  the  use  of  water  for  building  pur- 
poses are  not  issued  until  building  operations  are  completed,  when  collection 
is  often  difficult.  Tt  is  the  exception  rather  than  the  rule  for  permits  cover- 
ing the  use  of  hose  to  be  issued.  The  use  of  hose  is  allowed  on  nnmetered 
premises,  and  any  revenue  from  such  supplies  depends  entirely  upon  an 
inspection  that  is  admitted  to  be  inadequate. 


WATER  DEPARTMENT.  103 


UNAUTHORIZED  USE  OF   FIRE   HYDRANTS   SHOULD   BE 
STOPPED. 

Fire  hydrants  are  often  improperly  used,  and  steps  should  be  taken  at 
once  to  regulate  their  use.  Before  a  tire  hydrant  is  used  for/  any  other 
purpose  than  to  put  out  a  tire,  an  application  should  be  made  and  a  permit 
granted.  The  permit  should  distinctly  state  the  period  during  which  the 
opening  of  the  hydrant  is  to  be  allowed  and  the  purpose  for  which  the 
water  is  to  be  used.  The  police  should  be  requested  to  oblige  all  persons 
found  using  hydrants  to  produce  such  a  permit.  The  present  rules  of  the 
department  covering  the  use  of  hydrants  are  frequently  disregarded,  with 
a  consequent  loss  of  revenue  and  danger  to  the  community.  Unauthorized 
persons  tampering  with  hydrants  may  make  them  useless  when  urgently 
needed  for  lire  purposes. 

The  recent  ordinance  compelling  the  metering  of  automatic  sprinkler 
systems  is  an  exceedingly  good  regulation,  which  has  been  found  necessary 
in  nearly  all  large  cities,  although  it  is  opposed  everywhere  by  boards  of 
fire  underwriters.  It  is  one  of  the  ways  in  which  the  unauthorized  use  of 
water  can  be  prevented. 

LAN   SUPERVISION  OVER   PLUMBERS'  WORK. 

Plumbers  are  supposed  to  obtain  permits  before  connecting  fixtures. 
but  they  seldom  comply  with  this  rule.  If  they  report  at  all.  it  is  generally 
after  the  work  is  completed. 

There  is  no  co-operation  between  the  Building  Inspector  and  the 
Water  Department,  although  the  former  passes  on  all  plans,  both  of  new 
buildings  and  alterations  to  existing  structures.  If  the  Building  Inspector 
reported  on  all  plans  lodged  with  him.  it  would  be  possible  to  compel 
builders   and  plumbers  to   take   out   permits  before  beginning  work. 

The  permit  could  be  prepared  in  duplicate,  by  carbon  process,,  the  De- 
partment retaining  a  duplicate  copy  to  use  in  a  subsequent  inspection  of 
the  plumbers'  work.  Plumbers  should  be  required  to  return  their  permits 
when  work  is  completed,  so  that  proper  inspection  can  be  made.  By  these 
means  an  effective  control,  which  is  not  secured  now,  could  be  obtained  over 
revenues  from  new  supplies. 

No  permanent  records  are  kept  of  violations  created  by  plumbers  and 
discovered  by  department  inspectors.  Very  flagrant  cases  are  sometimes 
reported  by  the  chief  clerk  to  the  Board,  but  even  if  tines  are  imposed  at 
one  meeting  they  are  usually  remitted  at  the  next.  Although  plumbers  are 
licensed  and  the  rules  of  the  Department  impose  fines  for  irregularities,  no 
tines  have  -ever  been  collected.  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  a  person  who 
is  not  a  licensed  plumber  from  doing  any  work  he  likes  in  connection  with 
his  water  service.  It  would  be  well  to  limit  the  installation  or  alteration 
of  services  to  qualified  or  licensed  plumbers. 

A  card  record  should  be  kept  of  all  licensed  plumbers.  All  violations 
for   which    the    plumber   is    responsible,    which    are    discovered    on    inspection. 

ild  be  entered  on  his  card.  No  further  permits  should  be  issued  to 
him  until  all  known  violations  for  which  he  is  responsible  have  been  corrected. 


IQ4 WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

EQUIPMENT   OF   REVENUE   OFFICE   NOT  USED   TO   FULL 
ADVANTAGE. 

Although  the  office  is  well  equipped  with  time  and  labor  saving  devices, 
all  of  them  are  operated  by  hand;  they  should  be  electrically  driven. 
Although  the  adding  machine  was  purchased  two  years  ago,  it  apparantly 
has  been  used  very  little.  Much  of  the  revenue  accounting  work  should 
be  done  on  a  machine  of  this  kind.  The  addressograph  machine  should  be 
used  in  payroll  preparation  and  meter  reading  work,  as  well  as  for  billing 
meter  accounts.  A  machine  for  prebilling  schedule  rates  would  be  a  valuable 
addition  to  the  office;  it  could  also  be  used  in  the  preparation  of  meter  bills 
and  for  tax  bills. 

Proper  filing  and  storage  vault  facilities  are  needed.  The  revenue 
ledgers,  at  least,  should  be  protected  from  fire.  A  central  filing  system  should 
be  established  for  all  records  relating  to  water  revenues.  The  available 
filing  equipment  consists  of  a  few  sections  of  document  drawer  files — an 
obsolute  type  of  filing. 


Weiler's  Printing  House  <3^^>   440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  FIVE 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Police 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 

10  CENTS 


C  O  NTENTS 


Page 

Summary  of  Criticisms   and   Constructive  Suggestions 111-120 

Administration   121 

Organization  and  Personnel 123 

Rules   and    Regulations    128 

Magistrate's    Court    : 131 

Sanitary  Condition  of  Cells   133 

Distribution  of  Force  135 

Traffic   • 139 

Appropriations  141 

Appointments   141 

Uniforms  and  Equipment 149 

Promotions   151 

Trials  of  Delinquent  Policemen   153 

Detectives 155 

Records  and  Reports   161 

Filing  System 169 

Annual    Report    171 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  in 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 
SUGGESTIONS. 

ADMINISTRATION. 

The  Police  Department  has  been  a  part  of  the  political  system,  con- 
trolled by  partisan  affiliations,,  its  appointments  and  policies  influenced,  its 
progress  and  efficiency  impaired  by  political  sentiment  under  the  theory, 
r'to  the  victor  belongs  the  spoil." 

Efficiency  in  the  management  of  the  Police  Department  can  never  be 
attained  so  long  as  it  is  subject  to  political  influence. 

The  Mayor  does  not  receive  adequate  information  concerning  the 
activities  of  the  force,  making  intelligent  direction  and  accountability  im- 
possible. 

The  Mayor  should  receive  a  consolidated  daily  report  describing  in  detail 
the  activities  of  the  Police  Department  for  each  twenty-four  hours.  This 
information  should  be  compiled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  comparison 
with  previous  periods  possible. 

Considerable  time  which  the  Chief  should  be  giving  to  the  investigation 
of  police  cases  and  the  direct  management  of  his  force  he  is  compelled  to 
devote  to  clerical  duties  because  he  is  not  provided  with  any  clerical  help. 
Council  should  provide  for  the  appointment  of  a  clerk  who  should  be 
designated  as  Clerk  of  the  Police  Department,  having  charge  of  the  bureau 
of  criminal  identification  and  property.  As  property  clerk  he  should  be 
required  to  furnish  a  bond. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL. 

The  efficiency  of  the  police  force  has  been  destroyed  because  of  the 
constant  changing,  not  only  of  the  force  itself,  but  of  the  Chief  as  well. 
No  Chief  has  had  ample  time  to  develop  himself  or  his  subordinates. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  tenure  of  office  for  the  Chief  of  Police  be 
made  permanent  by  ordinance  and  that  he  be  removable  only  upon  charges. 

The  Chief  is  without  sufficient  power.  While  the  Chief  should  be  re- 
quired to  fully  report  upon  all  his  acts,  to  the  Mayor  and  Council,  he  should 
have   ample  power  in   matters   of   routine   police   administration. 

The  present  number  of  sergeants  is  insufficient.  With  but  six  sergeants 
it  is  impossible  to  supervise  the  day  patrol  force.  The  appointment  of  two 
additional  sergeants  to  supervise  the  day  patrol  is  recommended. 

Neither  the  sergeants  nor  the  patrolmen  are  required  by  rule  to  carry 
memorandum  books  nor  to  record  the  time  and  place  they  meet  each  other 
when  on  patrol.     It  is  essential  to  good  discipline  that  such  a  record  be  made. 

The  offices  occupied  by  the  Police  Department  are  inadequate.  The 
Chief  is  without  a  telephone  in  his  private  office  and  there  is  insufficient 
room   for   the   maintaining   of   proper   records. 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


The  establishment  of  a  properly  equipped  police  station  in  the  basement 
of  the  City  Hall,  in  the  room  now  used  as  a  court  room,  is  recommended. 
This  would  greatly  add  to  the  convenience  of  the  public  and  make  available 
an  extra  room  for  use  as  a  record  room. 

A  telephone  should  be  installed  in  the   office   of  the   Chief  at  once. 

The  present  procedure  of  arraigning  prisoners  is  undesirable,  in  that 
the  prisoners  are  not  always  arraigned  before  a  superior  officer  when 
arrested;  they  are  searched  by  the  turnkey  and  no  record  of  property  taken 
from  them  is  kept. 

All  prisoners  when  arrested,  should  be  arraigned  before  a  desk  sergeant 
and  searched  in  his  presence.  Such  property  as  is  taken  from  the  prisoner 
should  be  placed  in  an  envelope,  sealed  in  the  presence  of  the  prisoner  and 
a  record  of  same  made. 

The  Department  does  not  maintain  any  property  clerk's  office  and  there 
is  no  method  of  handling  property  coming  into  the  possession  of  the  Police 
Department.     Not  even  is  there  a  record  of  such  property. 

All  such  property  should  be  turned  over  to  the  property  clerk  and  care- 
fully preserved.  An  ordinance  should  be  adopted  providing  for  the  record 
of  such  property,  its  destruction  or  sale,  and  disposition  of  moneys  recovered 
from  such  sales. 

The  City  Scavenger  is  at  present  under  the  control  of  the  Police  De- 
partment. He  should  be  transferred  to  the  bureau  of  sanitation  in  the 
Department   of   Public   Safety. 

It  is  the  present  custom  for  the  desk  sergeant  to  serve  as  conductor 
on  the  patrol  wagon.  This  practice  is  not  only  undignified  and  not  in  the 
interest  of  good  discipline,  but  wholly  unnecessary.  The  rules  should  require 
the  turnkey  to  accompany  the  patrol  wagon  when  going  for  prisoners. 

RULES  AND  REGULATIONS. 

The  present  manual  of  rules  and  regulations  does  not  provide  specific 
ruels  governing  the  discipline  of  the  force,  the  records  to  be  maintained  and 
the  manner  of  maintaining  them  and  general  directions  for  the  force. 

It  is  recommended  that  Council  promulgate  a  new  set  of  rules  and 
regulations,  •  and  a  number  of  amendments  to  the  present  rules,  as  well 
as  new  rules,  are  suggested  throughout  this  report. 

The  present  method  of  issuing  rules,  special  and  general  orders  arid 
alarms  for  missing  persons  is  inefficient.  The  Department  should  be  equipped 
with  a  mimeograph  or  copying  machine  and  all  amendments  to  rules,  general 
and  special  orders,,  and  alarms  for  missing  persons  containing  their  descrip- 
tions, should  be  prepared  in  the  form  of  a  daily  bulletin  to  the  force,  and 
each  member  should  receive  a  copy. 

The  policemen  do  not  carry  any  standard  memorandum  book.  Efficiency 
in  the  reporting  of  matters  concerning  the  conditions  of  their  posts  would 
be  greatly  increased  by  providing  each  policeman  with  a  standard  loose  leaf 
memorandum  book.  The  practice  has  been  for  policemen  to  report  orally, 
conditions  found  on  their  posts.  They  should  be  required  to  make  a  separate 
written  report  upon  each  matter  reported  upon. 

Members  of  the  Police  Department  are  permitted  to  belong  to  political 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  113 

organizations  and  there  is  no  rule  prohibiting  their  soliciting  or  contributing 
to  campaign  contributions. 

No  member  of  the  Police  Department  should  be  permitted  to  retain 
membership  in  any  political  organization  and  under  penalty  of  dismissal  he 
should  be  prohibited  from  soliciting  or  contributing  to  campaign  funds. 

No  provision  is  made  for  rewarding  personal  bravery. 

The  establishment  of  a  department  honor  medal  as  a  permanent  annual 
reward  is  recommended. 

MAGISTRATE'S  COURT. 

Because  there  is  no  regular  session  of  the  Magistrate's  Court  on  Sun- 
day, at  times  prisoners  are  detained  in  the  City  Hall  for  more  than  twenty- 
four  hours.  Not  only  is  this  unfair  to  the  prisoners  but  it  is  a  great  incon- 
venience to  the  Police  Department  because  of  the  lack  of  adequate  equipment 
for  the  detaining  of  prisoners. 

Not  only  should  a  session  of  the  Magistrate's  Court  be  held  each  Sunday 
morning,  but  the  aldermen  should  hold  themselves  in  readiness  and  sit  as 
magistrates  at  any  time  during  the  day  should  their  services  be  required. 

Because  of  the  inability  of  the  Police  Department  to  handle  prisoners 
for  more  than  a  very  short  period,  magistrates  should  refrain  from  com- 
mitting prisoners  for  twenty-four  or  forty-eight  hours  to  the  cells  in  the 
City  Hall. 

Except  when  a  prisoner  is  committed  to  jail,  practically  no  records  of  the 
Magistrate's  Court  proceedings  are  maintained  and  no  statements  of  wit- 
nesses reduced  to  writing.* 

A  plan  of  procedure  with  regard  to  the  arraignment  of  prisoners  is 
recommended,  which  provides  for  the  proper  recording  of  information  con- 
cerning persons  arrested  and  arraigned  before  magistates. 

SANITARY  CONDITION  OF  CELLS. 

The  seven  cells  in  the  City  Hall  are  of  the  ancient  "torture  dungeon'' 
type.  They  are  unclean  and  unsanitary.  Their  reconstruction  is  recommended 
so  as  to  provide  for  the  admission  of  sunlight,  sanitation,  the  installation 
of  an  electric  light  in  each  cell,  modern  plumbing  and  running  water. 

No  adequate  provision  for  detaining  women  prisoners  is  made.  They 
are  detained  in  the  same  cell  house  with  men.  The  only  difference  in  the 
women's  cell  being  that  it  is  larger  and  has  a  wooden  door.  Provision  should 
be  made  at  once  either  to  equip  the  basement  with  an  entirely  separate  cell 
room  for  women  prisoners  or  for  their  temporary  detention  in  the  county 
jail. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  THE  FORCE. 

The  present  method  of  patrol  is  antiquated  and  obsolete.  It  is  unfair 
to    the    policeman    and   to    the   private    citizen.      It    provides    for   no    reserve 


*  A  card  record  which  will  partly  correct  this  condition  is  now  in  course 
of  installation. 


ii4 POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

force.  It  leaves  the  city  without  a  single  patrolman  on  post  for  a  total  of 
four  hours  during  each  day.     The  tours  of  patrol  are  entirely  too  long. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  new  platoon  system  be  provided  at  once,  and 
that  pending  the  installation  of  such  a  platoon  system,  arrangements  be 
made  to  cover  the  beats  during  the  hours  they  are  at  present  unpatrolled. 

The  present  system  of  circular  posts  has  long  since  been  condemned  by 
police  experts,  its  chief  objection  being  that  it  is  difficult  for  the  citizens 
as  well  as  the  sergeants  to  find  the  policemen  on  patrol.  The  establishment 
of  the  avenue  and  side  street  posts  is  recommended. 

The  posts  as  laid  out  at  present  do  not  provide  fon  an  equitable  distribu- 
tion of  the  men,  the  business  section  of  the  city  being  over-policed  while  the 
residential  streets  are  in  need  of  additional  policemen. 

A  study  of  the  posts  with  a  view  to  re-apportioning  the  entire  city  is 
recommended  and  a  plan  for  such  study  suggested. 

The  present  number  of  patrolmen  is  insufficient,  but  because  of  the 
absence  of  detailed  crime  records  and  the  records  of  complaints,  it  is  im- 
possible at -present  to  determine  the  actual  number  of  patrolmen  needed  to 
increase  the  efficiency  of  the  force. 

The  appointing  of  two  extra  sergeants,,  two  detectives  and  two  additional 
patrolmen  (which  increases  would  make  the  total  force  number  one  hundred 
men)  is  recommended.  It  is  also  suggested  that  a  study  of  the  crime  con- 
ditions in  the  city  be  made  in  order'  to  determine  the  basis  of  the  actual 
number  of  patrolmen  needed.  Such  a  study  based  upon  the  present  records, 
would  be  impossible. 

There  is  need  for  additional  red  signal  lamps  throughout  the  city,  and 
likewise  for  the  redistribution  of  those  at  present  in  use. 

TRAFFIC. 

The  extreme  width  of  Penn  Square  makes  the  handling  of  pedestrians 
at  crossings  difficult  because  of  the  absence  of  safety  zones.  The  establish- 
ment of  safety  zones  for  the  use  of  persons  desiring  to  board  street  cars, 
is  recommended.  The  locations  suggested  are  at  the  corners  of  Fourth  & 
Penn,  Fifth  &  Penn  and  Sixth  &  Penn  Streets.  Safety  zones  are  com- 
paratively inexpensive  and  add  greatly  to  the  safety  of  persons  crossing 
streets. 

APPROPRIATIONS. 

Because  of  the  system  of  accounts  maintained,  it  would  be  impossible 
to  make  an  analysis  of  the  cost  of  the  police  management,  without  an 
examination  of  all  the  vouchers  in  the  Controller's  office.  Items  of  expense 
in  connection  with  the  management  of  the  City  Hall,  which  are  not  proper 
charges  against  the  Police  Department,  are  found  listed  in  the  appropria- 
tions for  its  management.  The  matter  of  budget  appropriations  is  fully 
discussed  in  the  report  of  the  Finance  Department  and,  therefore,  not  a  part 
of  this  report. 

APPOINTMENTS. 

Appointments  to  Reading's  Police  Force  have  been  controlled  by  politi- 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  115 

Claris.  Since  1890  the  personnel  of  the  Police  Department  has  been  com- 
pletely changed  seven  times.  It  should  be  unnecessary  to  point  out  the 
impossibility  of  securing  police  efficiency  under  such  conditions  as  these. 

Men  have  been  appointed  to  the  Police  Force  in  this  city  at  an  age 
which  in  other  cities  would  compel  their  retirement. 

Applicants  to  the  force  receive  no  physical  examination.  The  result 
is  that  the  percentage  of  sickness  among  members  of  the  Reading  Police 
Force   is  -unusually   high. 

To  establish  an  efficient  Police  Force  in  this  city  a  complete  reorganiza- 
tion is  necessary.  Council  should  adopt  an  ordinance  providing  for  the 
appointment  of  policemen  under  civil  service  rules  and  regulations.  The 
ordinance  should  fix  the  minimum  and  maximum  age  of  appointment  and 
the  minimum  height  of  applicants.  All  applicants  should  be  required  to 
undergo  a  rigid  physical  and  mental  test,,  such  as  is  provided  for  in  the  civil 
service  rules  and  regulations  of  New  York,  Chicago,  Philadelphia  and  Pitts- 
burgh. 

The  unusually  high  percentage  of  time  lost  due  to  sickness  may  in  part 
be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  city  pays  full  time  to  policemen  when 
on  sick  leave.  Except  for  time  lost  due  to  illness  contracted  in  the  actual 
performance  of  duty,  the  city  should  pay  policemen  only  at  the  rate  of  half 
their  salary  when  on  sick  leave. 

Policemen  are  not  now  required  to  serve  a  probationary  period.  The 
new  ordinance  providing  for  the  reorganization  of  the  Police  Department 
should  require  all  policemen  to  serve  a  probationary  period  of  not  less  than 
six  months. 

Policemen  are  given  absolutely  no  training  or  instruction  in  police  work. 
Because  of  the  constant  changing  of  the  personnel  of  the  department,  they 
never  even  acquire  training  by  virtue  of  continued  service  or  experience. 

A  training  school  for  police  service  should  be  established  at  once.  Such 
school  should  be  in  charge  of  an  experienced  police  officer  and  should  be 
used  to  determine  fitness  for  police  duty  as  well  as  for  the  instruction  of 
recruits. 

No  provision  is  made  at  present  for  the  appointment  of  sub-patrolmen. 
Thus,  the  city  is  frequently  without  sufficient  policemen  on  patrol  because 
of  vacations,  sick  leave  and  absences  from  the  city  of  the  regular  patrolmen. 
The  new  ordinance  should  provide  for  the  appointment  of  sub-patrolmen  from 
a  civil  service  list. 


UNIFORMS  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

The  uniform  now  in  use  is  both  neat  and  serviceable.  The  policemen 
observed  appeared  tidy  and  well  clad. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  uniform  would  be  improved  by  adding 
a  belt  to  the  present  equipment  for  use,  except  during  the  summer  months. 

The  present  form  of  mace  does  not  comply  with  the  standard  night  stick 
or  mace  used  in  most  large  cities  and  it  is  recommended  that  policemen 
on  night  turns  be  equipped  with  what  is  commonly  termed  a  "night  stick." 

The  rules  at  present  do  not  require  policemen  to  carry  revolvers  and 
the  result  is  that  many  of  the  policemen  in  this  city  are  not  so  equipped. 
An   examination   of  the  revolvers   carried,   showed  manv  to  be   unfit  for  use 


u6  POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


in  police  work.  The  revolver  should  be  part  of  the  regular  equipment  of 
policemen  and  should  be  supplied  by  the  city.  The  chief  should  adopt  a 
standard  uniform  make  of  revolver  and  no  policeman  should  be  permitted 
to  go  on  duty  without  it. 

The  present  practice  of  carrying  the  pistol  in  the  right  hip  pocket  should 
be  abandoned,  and  the  regulations  should  require  that  the  revolvers  be 
carried  in  the  left  side  of  the  blouse  or  coat  so  as  to  be  available  in  emer- 
gencies. 

The  present  equipment  is  not  now  properly  inspected  at  roll  call,  and 
no  military  discipline  is  maintained.  It  is  recommended  that  the  equipment 
of  the  patrol  force  be  carefully  and  properly  inspected  at  each  outgoing 
roll  call  and  that  military  discipline  be  maintained  at  all  times. 

The  policemen's  equipment  is  not  now  properly,  inspected  at  roll  call, 
and  no  military  discipline  is  maintained.  It  is  recommended  that  the  equip- 
ment of  the  patrol  force  be  carefully  and  properly  inspected  at  each  outgoing 
roll  call  and  that  military  discipline  be  maintained  at  all  times. 

PROMOTIONS. 

Under  the  present  system  policemen  are  afforded  no  opportunity  for 
promotion. 

Their  officers  are  not  always  selected  from  the  ranks,  but  are  frequently 
appointed  from  outside  the  force.  Thus,  the  Reading  policeman  is  without 
any  hope  of  reward  beyond  his  salary  check,  and  the  chance  of  enthusiasm 
and  ambition  is  destroyed. 

Promotions  to  the  rank  of  sergeant  and  chief  should  only  be  made  as 
a  result  of  a  competitive  civil  service  examination  open  only  to  members 
of  the  force  or  to  former  policemen  who  have  had  not  less  than  five  years!' 
actual  police  service  in  this  or  some  other  city. 

No  real  efficiency  records  are  maintained.  If  promotions  are  to  be  made 
pursuant  to  civil  service  examinations,  as  recommended,  proper  efficiency 
records  should  be  installed  at  once.  In  giving  efficiency  ratings  to  members 
of  the  force,  sergeants  should  consider  carefully  the  ten  points  of  service, 
referred  to  in  this  report. 

TRIALS  OF  DELINQUENT  POLICEMEN. 

Except  that  the  present  law  empowers  the  Mayor  to  drop  from  the  rolls 
any  member  of  the  force,  no  provision  is  made  for  the  manner  in  which 
charges  against  policemen  should  be  heard.  Thus,  it  is  possible  for  men  to 
be  dropped  for  political  reasons  rather  than  for  delinquency  or  incompetency. 

Having  established  the  position  of  policeman  as  a  permanent  one  during 
good  behavior,  Council  should  provide  by  ordinance  for  the  method  of  re- 
moval of  policemen  upon  charges.  The  procedure  should  include  a  proper 
service  of  the  charges  and  opportunity  for  the  defendant  to  be  heard.  The 
ordinance  should  include  a  detailed  form  of  procedure  to  be  followed  in  every 
trial.     The  trials  of  delinquent  policemen  should  be  public. 

The  present  forms  of  punishment  which  may  be  inflicted  are  dismissal, 
forfeiture  of  pay,  reprimand  or  extra  duty.  The  ordinance  should  also  pro- 
vide for  punishment  for  minor  infractions  of  the  rules  by  a  demerit  system. 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 117 

In    cases    where    fines    are    imposed    provision    should   be    made    so    that   not 
more  than  one-third  of  any  policeman's   salary  will  be  deducted  in   any  one 

month. 

DETECTIVES. 

Reading,  with  its  population  of  almost  a  hundred  thousand,  is  without 
any  detectives.  The  two  policemen  performing  duty  in  plain  clothes  have 
had  no  special  training  for  detective  work.  The  need  for  scientific  training 
of  detectives  is  now  recognized  the  world  over.  As  criminals  specialize  in 
their  work  and  become  more  scientific  in  their  methods  of  operation,  it 
becomes  more  imperative.  Thus,  it  is  recommended  that  Council  create  a 
detective  division  of  the  Police  Department,  with  at  least  four  detectives, 
one  of  whom  should  be  designated  chief"  detective. 

Provision  should  be  made  for  their  special  training  by  permitting  them 
to  attend  the  detective  school  attached  to  the  New  York  Police  Department. 
They  should  also  be  permitted  to  visit  the  various  large  prisons  to  familiarize 
themselves  with  types  of  criminals. 

The  detectives  should  receive  a  salary  of  not  less  than  $1,200  a  year. 
A  separate  set  of  records  should  be  maintained  by  the  detective  division 
and  a  system  installed  which  will  provide  accurate   and  detailed  information 
concerning   all   of   their   activities   and   the    cases    coining   under   their   super- 
vision. 

Although    the    department    is    equipped    with    a    Bertillon    measurement 
system  and  a  partial  finger-print  outfit,,  no  one  connected  with  the  department 
has   been    given    adequate    instructions    either   in    classifying    finger   prints    or 
in  taking  Bertillon  measurements  of  criminals. 
There  is  no  bureau  of  criminal  identification. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  bureau  of  criminal  identification  be  established 
at  once  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  clerk  to  the  department  whose  appoint- 
ment is  recommended  in  this  report.  The  department  should  have  a  camera 
for  photographing  criminals  and  should  maintain  proper  criminal  records. 
The  chief  should  be  permitted  to  secure  the  service  of  the  National  Bureau 
of    Criminal    Indentification. 

The  police  have  no  control  over  pawnbrokers  and  second-hand  dealers-. 
A  proper  control  over  both  of  these  industries  is  essential  to  efficiency  in 
the  management  of  the  detective  division.  Therefore,  it  is  recommended 
that  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  requiring  all  pawnbrokers  and  second-hand 
dealers  to  furnish  the  police  with  a  daily  list  of  property  pledged  with  them. 
The  same  ordinance  should  provide  for  the  creation  of  a  "stop"  ticket,  and 
the  installation  of  a  "buzzer"  in  the  telegraph  bureau  of  the  Police  Depart- 
ment, connected  with  each  of  the  four  pawnbrokers.  An  ordinance  requiring 
a  daily  report  from  all  pawnbrokers  became  effective  in  January,  1914. 

RECORDS  AND  REPORTS. 

The  records  of  the  Police  Department  as  maintained  at  present  are 
inadequate.  There  are  no  rules  governing  the  manner  in  which  the  records 
shall  be  prepared  or  filed. 

The  present  form  of  pay-roll  in  use  is  of  an  antiquated  type.     The  prac- 


n8  POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

tice  of  having  the  Police  Department  prepare,  its  own  pay-roll  should  be 
abandoned  and  the  department  be  required  only  to  certify  to  the  Bureau 
of  Accounts  the  service  time  of  the  members. 

The  sergeants'  daily  report  now  in  use  is  incomplete  and  has  resulted 
in  policemen  making  oral  reports  instead  of  reporting  in  writing,  thus 
preventing  the  proper  filing  of  complaints  and  other  information  recorded 
thereon. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  sergeants'  daily  report  be  abandoned  and 
that  each  patrolman  be  required  to  make  a  separate  written  report  upon 
accidents,  fires,  light  outages,  nuisances,  etc.,,  and  all  such  matters  as  are 
observed  by  him  while  on  patrol.  Instead  of  the  sergeants'  daily  report,  the 
Mayor  should  receive  a  consolidated  daily  return  which  should  be  prepared 
on  a  printed  form  with  proper  headings.  This  report  should  contain  a  com- 
plete statement  of  the  activities  of  the  force  for  each  twenty-four  hours. 
It  should  give  to  the  Mayor  sufficient  information  to  enable  him  to  judge 
of  the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  the  force. 

The  Mayor  at  present  receives  a  daily  report  from  the  two  "plain  clothes" 
men,  which  is  incomplete  and  of  no  value. 

The  rules  should  provide  that  detailed  written  reports  upon  all  cases 
occurring  during  the  regular  hours,  be  prepared  and  filed  with  the  Mayor 
as  soon  as  they  are  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  chief. 

The  daily,  monthly  and  quarterly  reports  should  contain  tables  showing 
by  comparison  the  activities  of  the  Police  Department  of  the  current  period 
with  that  of  the  corresponding  period  of  the  preceding  year. 

The  magistrate's  docket  or  pedigree  book  does  not  contain  sufficient 
information  concerning  the  pedigree  of  the  prisoners  and  the  history  of  each 
individual  case.  It  is  recommended  that  this  book  be  abandoned  and  in  its 
place  a  book  to  be  known  as  the  record  of  arrests  be  established,  with  proper 
printed  headings  to  supply  detailed  information  concerning  the  pedigree  of 
each  prisoner  and  the  facts  concerning  the  arrest.  A  card  system  to  remedy 
these  conditions  will  be  installed  early  in  February,   1914. 

The  record  now  kept  by  the  desk  sergeants,,  in  which  is  entered  without 
any  uniform  method,  records  of  complaints  and  other  matters  occurring 
during  the  day,  should  be  abandoned  and  a  record  to  be  known  as  the  desk 
blotter  should  be  established  at  once.  The  desk  blotter  should  be  a  complete 
chronological  record  of  the  business  conducted  at  the  station. 

The  rules  of  the  department  should  specifically  state  what  type  of  entries 
shall  be  made  in  this  and  all  records,  and  what  form  shall  be  used  in  entering 
them. 

No  special  book  is  provided  for  the  keeping  of  records  of  accidents, 
injured  persons  attended  at  the  police  station,  dead  bodies  found  and  such 
other  cases  in  which  the  police  render  aid.  For  purposes  of  maintaining 
accurate  records  of  aided  cases,  it  is  recommended  that  a  record  be  estab- 
lished to-be  known  as  the  record  of  aided  cases  and  that  all  entries  in  this 
book  and  the  method  of  making  such  entries  be  pursuant  to  specific  rules 
and  regulations. 

The  use  of  the  slate  for  recording  prisoners'  pedigrees  should  be  aban- 
doned at  once  as  the  pedigree  of  the  prisoners  should  be  entered  in  the 
record  of  arrests  in  the  presence  of  the  prisoner. 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 119 

Although  much  of  the  business  of  the  Police  Department  is  conducted 
over  the  telephone,  no  record  of  telephone  messages  is  kept  at  the  city  hall, 
except  signal  box  calls  from  policemen.  It  is,  therefore,  recommended  that 
a  record  be  established  at  once  to  be  known  as  the  telephone  record,  in 
which  should  be  entered  all  incoming  and  outgoing  telephone  messages  and 
sufficient  information  about  them  to  make  the  record  of  value  for  future 
reference. 

The  present  method  of  recording  citizens'  complaints  is  most  inefficient, 
particularly  because  most  complaints  are  not  recorded  and  those  that  are 
recorded  are  not  properly  entered.  It  is  recommended  that  the  present 
book  us£d  by  the  desk  sergeant  for  this  purpose  be  abandoned  and  that  the 
large  citizens'  complaint  book  in  which  are  printed  forms  be  immediately 
put  into  service  and  used  for  records  of  complaints  other  than  those  requiring 
detective  attention,  which  should  be  entered  in  the  detectives'  complaint  book 
referred  to  elsewhere. 

Although  the  most  convenient  type  of  record  is  the  card  record  system, 
the  department  does  not  maintain  any  such  system  with  the  exception  of 
a  card  record  of  the  patrol  force  and  their  assignment  to  beats. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  card  record  system  be  established  which  will 
include  a  card  record  of  arrests,  aided  cases,  arrests  for  intoxication  and 
lodgers.  All  of  these  cards  should  be  of  different  colors  and  indexed  alpha- 
betically. 

No  adequate  record  of  repairs  and  supplies  is  at  present  maintained. 
In  fact  so  far  as  the  Police  Department  is  concerned  it  does  not  maintain 
any  record  of  repairs  and  supplies.  A  specially  printed  record  book  contain- 
ing requisition  forms  should  be  procured  at  once,  and  the  Police  Depart- 
ment should  have  adequate  record  not  only  of  material  and  supplies  ordered, 
but   also   those   received. 

The  department  maintains  absolutely  no  records  which  are  of  any  value, 
concerning  the  individual  members  of  the  force.  Not  even  is  there  a  record 
of  the  previous  occupation  of  the  members  of  the  force.  Individual  records 
of  members  of  the  force  should  be  established  at  once. 

The  department  does  not  require  members  of  the  force  to  file  their 
photographs  with  the  chief.  The  department  should  have  a  recent  photo- 
graph of  every  member  of  the  force  for  purposes  of  identification. 

An  examination  of  the  records  in  order  to  determine  the  causes  of  illness 
and  the  physical  condition  of  the  force  could  not  be  made  with  any  degree 
of  accuracy  because  of  the  absence  of  health  records.  It  is,  therefore,  recom- 
mended that  a  card  record  be  established  to  be  known  as  the  health  record, 
and  upon  which  will  be  noted  detailed  information  concerning  illnesses  of 
members  of  the  force,  each  member  having  a  separate  card. 

Although  sergeants  are  supposed  to  be  held  responsible  for  the  condi- 
tions in  their  districts,  they  merely  report  specific  matters.  They  are  not 
required  to  furnish  any  definite  list  of  suspected  places  or  to  file  a  monthly 
report   upon  licensed   places   in   their   districts. 

It  is  recommended  that  each  sergeant  be  required  to  file  a  monthly  re- 
port showing  that  he  has  inspected  or  caused  to  be  inspected  during  the 
month  every  licensed  premises  in  his  district.  He  should  likewise  file  a 
monthly  report  of  suspected  places.  If  there  are  none  in  his  district,  he 
should  be  required  to  certify  to  that  in  writing  and  over  his  signature. 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


FILING  SYSTEM. 

The  Department  of  Police  has  but  one  filing  cabinet  for  its  records.  In 
this  are  kept  practically  all  of  the  records  of  the  department  with  the  excep- 
tion of  such  matters  as  are  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Mayor. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  filing  system  be  installed  at  once  and  that  it 
be  in  charge  of  the  clerk  whose  appointment  is  recommended  elsewhere, 
and  that  the  rules  definitely  prescribe  the  procedure  with  regard  to  the 
handling  of  mail  and  the  method  of  handling  complaints  and  the  filing  of 
same. 

ANNUAL  REPORT. 

The  present  form  of  annual  report  is  of  no  administrative  value  whatever. 
It  contains  no  comparative  tables.  No  mention  of  crimes  for  which  there 
were  no  arrests,  is  made.     No  mention  of  complaints  received,  is  made. 

It  is  recommended  that  for  the  information  of  Council  and  the  citizens, 
a  detailed  annual  report  be  issued  and  that  it  contain  sufficient  information 
to  be  of  value  in  determining  the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  the  force  and 
the  crime  conditions  of  the  city. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT  121 


POLICE  DEPARTMENT 


CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE  SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ORGANIZATION,  PERSONNEL,  REGULATIONS, 
APPOINTMENTS  AND  GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION. 


ADMINISTRATION 

MAYOR  IS  ADMINISTRATIVE  HEAD. 

The  Mayor  is  the  administrative  head  of  the  Police  Department,  and 
as  such  has  control  over  its  management. 

In  no  branch  of  municipal  government  does  efficiency  depend  so  much 
upon  security  of  tenure,  experience  based  upon  continued  service,  and  free- 
dom from  political  influence,,  as  in  the  Police  Department. 

Although  Reading's  Police  Department  has  been  a  part  of  the  political 
system  controlled  by  partisan  affiliations,  Jts  appointments  and  policies  influ- 
enced, its  progress  and  efficiency  impaired  by  political  sentiment  under  the 
theory  "to  the  victor  belongs  the  spoil,"  it  is  apparent  that  the  policy  of 
the  present  Mayor  in  his  management  of  the  police,  indicates  his  willingness 
and  desire  to  remove  the  police  from  the  control  of  political  influence. 

While  police  experts  differ  widely  upon  many  points  of  police  administra- 
tion, they  are  agreed  that  efficiency  in  police  management  can  never  be 
attained  as  long  as  it  is  subject  to  political  influence. 

The  present  administration  can  place  the  department  upon  an  efficient 
basis  without  any  large  expenditure  of  money  or  radical  change  in  the  plan 
of  administration. 

ACCURATE  INFORMATION  NECESSARY  TO  EFFICIENT 
ADMINISTRATION. 

While  the  Mayor,  pursuant  to  law,  is  the  administrative  head  of  the 
force,  he  is  nevertheless  responsible  to  the  Council.  To  maintain  proper 
control  over  the  activities  of  the  Police  Force,  it  is  necessary  that  the  Council 
as  well  as  the  Mayor,  receive  current,  concise,  accurate  and  detailed  informa- 
tion concerning  the  activities  of  the  Police  Force. 

Although  an  examination  of  the  records  of  the  department  shows  that 
the  present  Mayor  has  caused  to  be  established  a  number  of  records  which 
had  not  been  in  use  prior  to  his  administration,  the  kind  of  information  he 
receives  at  present  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  compiled  and  submitted 
does  not  enable  him  to  direct  the  activities  of  the  force  intelligently. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


KIND   OF   INFORMATION   COUNCIL   NEEDS. 

To  enable  the  Mayor  and  Council  to  maintain  adequate  control  over 
the  department,  they  should  receive  from  the  chief  reports  in  tabular  form 
showing  whether — 

i — Crime  is  on  the  increase  or  decrease; 
2 — The  number  of  arrests  exceeds  that  of  preceding  years; 
3 — The  number  of  convictions  exceeds  that  of  previous  years; 
4 — The  number  of  complaints  received  exceeds  that  of  previous  years; 
5 — Complaints  received  are  being  properly  investigated; 
6 — Investigations   are  conducted  intelligently; 
7 — The  cell  house  is  in  good  sanitary  condition; 
8 — There   are   many   or  few  disorderly  houses   or  houses   of  prostitution 

in  the  city; 
9 — There  are  many  or  few  gambling  houses  or  pool  rooms  in  operation; 
io — Juvenile  delinquency  is  on  the  increase  or  decrease; 
ii — There  is  much  or  little  sickness  among  the  members  of  the  force; 
12 — Supplies  are  being  properly  distributed  and  honestly  accounted  for; 
13 — Complaints  against  members  of  the  force  for  delinquencies  are  many 

or    few. 
A  study  of  the  records  of  the  department  as  at  present  maintained  would 
not  reveal  much  of  this  information. 

The  success  or  failure  of  police  management  in  cities  depends  wholly  upon 
the  head  of  the  department  being  properly  and  honestly  advised  as  to  all 
the  activities  of  the  department,  by  means  of  concise  and  accurate  reports. 

The  fact  that  he  Mayor  not  only  has  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Police 
with  its  necessarily  large  amount  of  administrative  detail,  but  is  also  re- 
sponsible for  the  supervision  of  all  the  city  departments,  makes  the  submis- 
sion of  intelligent  consolidated  reports  all  the  more  important. 

NO  ADEQUATE  CLERICAL  STAFF  FOR  CHIEF. 

Conceding  the  necessity  of  such  reports,,  it  is  necessary  that  clerical 
help  be  provided  to  make  detailed  compilations. 

At  present  the  chief  of  the  department  performs  most  of  the  clerical 
work.  The  clerk  to  the  Police  Department  is  also  clerk  to  the  Mayor. 
However,  the  mayor's  office  has  the  prior  claim  on  this  clerk's  services,  and 
since,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties,  he  also  acts  as  stenographer  to  the 
Mayor,  he  has  not  as  much  time  to  give  to  the  Police  Department  as  is 
necessary  to  maintain  a  proper  system  of  records.  Much  time  which  the 
chief  should  be  devoting  to  the  direct  management  of  his  force  is  taken  up 
by  clerical  work. 

Therefore,  since  the  chief  is  provided  with  no  other  clerical  assistant, 
it  is.  recommended  that  the  Council  establish  the  position  of  Clerk  to  the 
Police  Department,  and  by  thus  relieving  the  Chief  of  Police  from  the 
routine,  detailed  clerical  work,  leave  him  free  to  carry  on  his  police  investi- 
gations. The  Mayor's  secretary  could  then  give  his  entire  time  to  the 
mayor's  office.  This  change  would  not  cause  the  Mayor  to  lose  control 
over  the  Police  Department,,  because  by  the  establishment  of  a  proper 
report  system,  bringing  to  his  desk  current  information  concerning  the  force, 
his  control  will  be  strengthened. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT.  123 


OTHER  FUNCTIONS  OF  CLERK. 

In  addition  to  serving  as  clerk  to  the  department,  the  new  appointee 
should  act  as  property  clerk  and  have  charge  of  the  bureau  of  criminal 
identification,  both  of  which  functions  will  be  discussed  elsewhere  in  this 
report. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL 

The   organization  of  the  Police   Department  is  as  follows: 
1  Chief; 
6  Sergeants; 
76  Patrolmen    (2   assigned  to   duty  in   plain   clothes); 
3  Turnkeys; 

3  Telephone  Operators; 
1  Matron; 
1  Scavenger; 

3  Patrol  Wagon   Drivers. 
Of  the  76  patrolmen,  20  perform  day  duty;  54  perform  night  duty;   two 
are   assigned  to   duty  in   plain   clothes;    one   is   assigned   to   motorcycle   duty, 
and  six  to  mounted  duty. 

Of  the  six  sergeants,  four  are  assigned  to  the  supervision  of  the  night 
patrol  force;  one  to  night  desk  duty,  designated  assistant  chief,  and  one  to 
day  desk  duty. 

CHIEF  IS  THE  EXECUTIVE  HEAD  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  department  is  organized  with  the  Chief  of  Police  as  the  executive 
head.  He  was  appointed  by  the  Mayor  and  serves  at  the  will  of  the  Mayor. 
Under  the  new  law,  however,  the  chief  must  be  selected  by  Council  and  must 
have  come  from  the  uniformed  force.  The  department  has  had  eight  chiefs 
since  1890.  With  each  change  in  the  city  administration  there  has  been  a 
change  of  police  chief.  The  present  chief  has  been  in  office  since  December, 
191 1.  Prior  to  his  appointment  as  chief  of  the  department  he  was  engaged 
as  an  iron  moulder.  Although  he  has  never  served  as  a  policeman,  and 
frankly  admits  that  he  was  totally  unfamiliar  with  police  procedure  when 
appointed,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  practically  all  the  records  that  are 
of  any  value  he  has  established  since  taking  office;  that  the  present  type  of 
uniform  which  is  of  an  approved  type,  was  selected  by  him;  and  that,  although 
the  discipline  of  the  department  is  scarcely  up  to  the  standard,,  it  is  declared 
to  be  a  vast  improvement  over  the  discipline  maintained  under  previous 
chiefs. 

PERMANENT  TENURE  FOR  CHIEF  RECOMMENDED. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  freedom  of  a  Police  Department  from  politics 
and  political  influence  and  interference,  is  the  security  of  tenure  of  its  mem- 
bers and  its  head.  The  policy  of  a  Police  Department  and  its  direct  manage- 
ment is  in  the  hands  of  the  chief  of  the  department.  While  it  is  true  that 
the  administrative  head,  namely,  the  Mayor,  creates  a  definite  policy  with 
regard  to  the  enforcement  of  the  law,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  the  practical 


124  POLICE    DEPARTMENT 


working  out  of  the  policy  is  under  the  control  of  the  chief.  Thus  it  follows 
that  in  order  to  have  good  discipline  in  a  uniformed  body,  the  rank  and  file 
must  respect  and  have  confidence  in  their  superior  officer.  The  Chief  of 
Police  can  never  secure  the  absolute  confidence  of  his  men  and  their  continued 
respect  to  a  degree  productive  of  good  discipline  and  efficiency  if  the  rank 
and  file  are  conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  is  to  remain  in  command  only  for 
a  short  period  and  is  dependent  for  his  position  upon  politics. 

Policing  a  city  means  the  suppression  of  vice  in  all  its  forms  and  keeping 
a  city  free  of  thieves  and  vagrants — in  a  word,  protecting  the  life  and  prop- 
erty of  the  citizens.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is  all  important  that  this 
function  of  government  should  be  carried  on  in  the  most  efficient  manner 
possible,  and  that  to  do  this  it  must  be  placed  on  a  scientific  basis.  This 
can  be  achieved  only  if  the  commanding  officer  is  himself  familiar  with  the 
science  of  police.  Therefore,  it  naturally  follows  that  in  order  for  the  head 
of  the  force  to  become  scientific  in  his  management  of  those  under  his  com- 
mand and  in  the  working  out  of  the  police  problem  of  the  city,  he  must  be 
given   ample  time  to  develop  himself  as  well  as  his  subordinates. 

Although  it  is  important  that  the  man  selected  as  the  head  of  the  police 
be  an  experienced  policeman,  it  is  vastly  more  important  that,  after  having 
been  selected,  he  shall  be  secure  in  his  place  during  good  behavior. 

Therefore,  it  is  recommended  that  the  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  pro- 
viding for  the  permanent  tenure  of  office  for  the  Chief  of  Police.  Such 
ordinance  should  require  that  the  chief,  before  being  removed,  should  be 
served  with  charges,  granted  a  specific  time  in  which  to  answer,,  and  given  a 
trial  before  the  Council. 


CHIEF  SHOULD  HAVE  MORE  POWER. 

The  chief  possesses  only  such  power  as  the  Mayor  and  Council  may 
delegate  to  him.  Under  the  present  administration  all  his  acts,  before 
becoming  official,  must  receive  the  approval  of  the  Mayor. 

While  in  all  matters  involving  the  general  policy  of  the  department, 
the  chief  should  confer  with  the  Mayor,  and  while  all  appointments,  promo- 
tions and  transfers  of  superior  officers  should  be  made  by  the  Mayor  and 
Council  upon  the  recommendation  of  the  chief,  in  matters  of  routine,  such 
as  the  assignment  of  sergeants  and  patrolmen  and  their  transfers  from  beat 
to  beat,,  the  chief  should  have  full  power  to  act  without  consulting  either 
the  Mayor  or  Council.  He  should,  of  course,  furnish  the  Mayor  with  a  re- 
port stating  that  such  transfers  or  assignments  have  been  made,  and  the 
reason  therefor. 

NUMBER  OF  SERGEANTS  INSUFFICIENT. 

There  are  at  present  six  sergeants.  Four  of  these  sergeants  supervise 
the  night  force.  The  other  two  are  desk  sergeants.  For  purposes  of  admin- 
istration the  city  is  divided  into  four  districts.  A  sergeant  has  charge  of 
each  district.  The  function  of  the  four  patrol  sergeants  is  to  supervise  the 
work  of  the  patrol  force  in  their  respective  districts.  They  are  held  respon- 
sible for  all  conditions  existing  in  the  districts,  and  report  each  day  in  writing 
as  to  the  activities  of  the  patrol  force  under  their  command. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT  125 


While  the  patrol  is  supervised  during  the  night  hours,  there  is  no  super- 
vision during  the  day,  except  through  the  patrol  telephone  boxes. 

Efficient  police  work  means  efficient  patrolling,  and  efficient  patrolling 
can  only  be  had  through  efficient  supervision  of  patrol.  While  four  sergeants 
are*  necessary  to  supervise  the  night  patrol,  and  it  is  equally  necessary  that 
there  be  a  sergeant  on  duty  at  the  city  during  each  of  the  twenty-four  hours, 
it  is  also  absolutely  necessary  that  the  patrol  force  be  supervised  during  the 
day.  Therefore,,  the  present  number  of  sergeants  is  not  sufficient,  and  it  is 
recommended  that  two  additional  sergeants  be  appointed.  The  functions  of 
these  two  sergeans  should  be  to  supervise  patrol.  The  appointment  of  these 
two  sergeants  would  greatly  improve  the  day  patrol  service. 

SERGEANTvS  SHOULD  CARRY  MEMORANDUM  BOOKS. 

LTnder  the  present  system,  neither  sergeants  nor  patrolmen  are  required 
to  carry  memorandum  books  nor  to  make  a  record  of  the  time  and  place  they 
meet  each  other  on  their  rounds.  It  is  recommended  that  the  rules  of  the 
department  be  amended  so  as  to  remedy  these  defects.  The  kind  of  memor- 
andum book  to  be  used  will  be  discussed  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

REASONS   FOR  TRANSFERS   NOT   RECORDED. 

When  policemen  are  transferred  from  beat  to  beat  or  from  platoon  to 
platoon,  no  record  is  made  of  the  reason  for  such  transfer.  It  is  essential 
to  discipline  and  efficiency  that  the  Mayor  or  Council  or  the  chief  hie  with 
the  original  order  of  transfer  or  assignment,  the  reason  for  such  acts. 
This  should  be  made  a  permanent  record  in  justice  to  the  officer  transferred, 
as  well  as  for  other  reasons,  so  that  in  the  future  if  a  member  of  the  force 
desires  a  transfer,  the  succeeding  head  of  the  force  will  be  able  to  determine 
the  advisability  of  granting  his  request  by  referring  to  the  original  order  of 
transfer  and  there  learning  the  reason  therefor. 

f 
MUTUAL  TRANSFERS  SHOULD  BE  ENCOURAGED. 

Transfers  should  be  made  only  upon  application,  with  the  approval  of 
the  sergeant  of  the  district  to  which  the  applicant  is  attached  and  with  the 
approval  of  the  chief,  except  when  made  for  disciplinary  purposes.  The 
system  of  mutual  transfers  should  be  encouraged.  That  is,  if  a  patrolman 
on  clay  beat  desires  to  be  transferred  to  a  night  beat  and  a  patrolman  on  the 
night  beat  is  willing  to  exchange  places,  when  such  a  transfer  would  not 
interfere  with  the  service,  it  should  be  granted.  There  should  be  kept  a  file 
of  applications  for  transfers,  arranged  in  order  of  their  receipt,  and  no 
transfers  should  be  made  upon  application  except  from  this  list. 

It  would  be  wise  to  designate  certain  periods  in  the  year  in  winch  trans- 
fers would  be  made,  these  periods  to  be  fixed  by  the  chief. 

OFFICE  OF  CHIEF  SHOULD  BE  RE-ARRANGED. 

While  the  room  now  occupied  as  an  office  by  the1  chief  of  the  depart- 
ment is  wholly  inadequate,  the  room  immediately  adjoining  his  office  should 
be  re-arranged. 


126  POLICE   DEPARTMENT. 

This  room  is  now  used  by  the  desk  sergeant.  The  telephone  should  be 
removed  from  this  room  and  placed  in  the  office  of  the  chief,  the  chief's 
office  now  being  without  any  telephone.  When  the  chief  desires  to  telephone 
on  police  business  it  is  necessary  for  him  to  use  the  telephone  in  the  adjoin- 
ing room  which  is  open  to  the  public  and  affords  him  no  privacy. 

The  desk  sergeant  and  his  equipment  should  be  transferred  to  the  room 
in  the  basement  of  the  building,  now  occupied  by  the  turnkey  and  used  as 
a  court  room.  This  change  would  make  available  the  room  adjoining  the 
office  of  the  chief  for  use  as  a  filing  room  and  a  reception  office  for  persons 
visiting  the  chief  on  police  business. 

PRISONERS  SHOULD  BE  ARRAIGNED  BEFORE  SERGEANT. 

By  equipping  the  room  in  the  basement  as  a  police  station  it  will  be 
possible  to  abolish  the  present  system  of  having  prisoners  placed  in  the  cell 
without  having  first  been  arraigned  before  a  superior  officer.  The  present 
procedure  is  to  bring  the  prisoner  in  through  the  basement  to  the  cell  house 
where  the  turnkey  searches  him  and  takes  his  pedigree.  Thus  a  superior 
officer  does  not  always  come  in  contact  with  the  prisoners.  It  must  neces- 
sarily follow  that  unwarranted  arrests  are  sometimes  made  and  the  prisoner 
is  deprived  of  an  opportunity  to  appeal  or  state  his  case  to  any  officer  in 
authority.  • 

PRISONERS  SHOULD  BE  SEARCHED  IN  FRONT  OF  SERGEANT. 

Prisoners  are  searched  by  the  turnkey,  but  no  record  of  the  property 
taken  from  them  is  made.  Such  property  is  put  into  large  match  boxes  and 
placed  in  the  safe.  No  property  envelopes  are  provided.  When  the  prisoner's 
case  is  disposed  of  in  court  the  property  is  returned  to  him  by  the  turnkey, 
but  no  receipt  is  required  of  the  prisoner.  The  present  practice  is  to  take 
from  the  prisoner  only  such  property  as  could  be  used  by  him  in  an  attempt 
to  do  himself  bodily  harm.  The  exception  to  this  rule,,  however,  is  in  cases 
of  intoxication  and  larceny  when  all  property  is  taken  from  the  prisoner. 
The  rules  should  provide  the  following  procedure  for  the  searching  of 
prisoners : 

i — All  prisoners  should  be  searched  in  the  presence  of  the  desk  sergeant. 
2— All  property,  including  lead  pencils  and  money,  should  be  taken  from 
the  prisoner.     This  prevents  prisoners  from  being  robbed  by  other 
prisoners   while   in   the   same    cell,   while    asleep,   or  prisoners    from 
alleging  that  they  were  robbed  while  asleep. 
3— The   prisoner's   property   should   be   placed   in   an   envelope,   sealed   in 
his  presence  and  the  seal  initialed  by  the  prisoner  himself,  the  turn- 
key and  the  desk  sergeant. 
When  the  property  is  returned  to  the  prisoner,  he  should  be  required  to 
sign   for  same   in  the   arrest  blotter  where   a   record   of  the   property  taken 
from  him  should  be  made  at  the  time  of  arraignment. 

MARKS  OF  VIOLENCE  ON  PRISONER  SHOULD  BE  NOTED 
ON  ARREST  BLOTTER. 

If  a  prisoner,  when  arraigned  before  the  desk  sergeant,  shows  any  marks 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


of  violence,  these  marks  should  be  described  in  the  record  of  arrests  together 
with  the  pedigree  of  the  prisoner.  The  desk  sergeants  should  be  held 
responsible  for  the  condition  of  all  prisoners  while  in  their  custody  and 
therefore  should  personally  note  the  physical  condition  of  prisoners  brought 
into  the  station  so  as  to  protect  themselves  against  the  possibility  of  a 
prisoner  making  a  charge  that  he  was  assaulted  while  in  the  custody  of  the 
police. 

NO  PROVISION  MADE  FOR  THE  RECORDING  AND  DISPOSAL 
OF  UNCLAIMED  PROPERTY. 

There  is  at  present  no  regularly  organized  property  clerk's  office  and 
no  proper  method  of  handling  property  coming  in  to  the  possession  of  the 
Police  Department.  At  present  there  is  a  large  drawer  full  of  miscellaneous 
unclaimed  property  of  which  there  is  no  record  in  the  Department  of  Police 
and  no  law  governing  the  disposition  of  such  property.  There  is  also  a 
large  drawer  full  of  revolvers  which  have  been  taken  from  prisoners  and  of 
which  there  is  no  record  maintained. 

It  is  therefore  recommended  that  the  Council  designate  the  additional 
clerk  suggested  elsewhere  in  this  report  as  property  clerk;  that  he  be 
required  to  furnish  a  bond  to  the  city  and  that  all  property  coming  into 
possession  of  the  Police  Department  be  placed  in  his  charge..  He  should 
maintain  a  vault  or  safe  for  the  care  of  such  property,  and  a  record  book 
with  proper  headings  under  which  to  record  the  date  of  receipt  of  property, 
the  facts  as  to  how  same  came  into  possession  o*f  the  police,  by  whom  turned 
over  to  him  and  an  appraisal  of  the  value  of  the  property,  the  date  property 
was  disposed  of,  the  manner  deposed  of  and  the  amount  received  for  same 
if  property  was  disposed  of  by  sale.  There  should  also  be  a  column  in  this 
book  to  provide  for  the  signature  of  the  person  to  whom  property  is  turned 
over.  The  property  clerk  should  be  provided  with  a  printed  receipt  form, 
the  same  to  be  bound  in  a  book  and  numbered.  Each  lot  of  property  stored 
should  be  given  the  same  lot  number  as  the  number  appearing  upon  the 
receipt.  The  rules  should  provide  that  no  property  shall  be  turned  over  by 
the  property  clerk  except  upon  the  written  order  of  the  department  chief. 
The  ordinance  should  provide  that  all  property,  except  such  property  as  is 
being  held  for  evidence  in  a  pending  case,  shall  be  sold  at  public  auction 
after  one  year,  unless  claimed  by  the  owner  within  that  time.  The  ordinance 
should  also  provide  that  articles  found  upon  the  streets  and  in  public  places 
and  turned  over  to  the  police,  shall  be  advertised  in  one  or  more  daily 
papers  immediately  upon  their  receipt  by  the  police. 

SCAVENGER  SHOULD  NOT  BE  PART  OF  POLICE 
ORGANIZATION. 

The  City  Scavenger,  whose  functions  are  to  gather  up  unlicensed  dogs 
and  to  remove  from  the  streets  all  dead  animals,  should  not  be  a  part  of  the 
Police  Organization.  He  should  be  transferred  by  the  Council  to  the  Bureau 
of  Sanitation  in  the  Department  of  Public  Safety  proposed  in  this  report, 
and  should  report  to  the  persons  responsible  for  the  supervision  of  the 
work  of  this  bureau. 


128  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

DESK   SERGEANT   REQUIRED    TO   ACCOMPANY    PATROL 
WAGON. 

According  to  the  present  practice  the  desk  sergeant  serves  as  conductor 
of  the  patrol  wagon.  When  a  call  comes  in  for  the  patrol  wagon,  the  desk 
sergeant  is  required  to  leave  his  desk,  go  to  the  patrol  wagon  stable  and 
accompany  the  wagon  on  the  call.  Thus  the  City  Hall  is  frequently  without 
a  desk  sergeant  during  the  night.  It  is  wholly  unnecessary  for  the  desk 
sergeant  to  serve  as  conductor  on  the  patrol  wagon.  This  practice  should 
be  abandoned  and  the  rules  should  provide  that  immediately  upon  receipt 
of  a  call,  the  patrol  wagon  should  drive  to  the  side  entrance  of  the  City 
Hall,  and  the  turnkey  should  be  required  to  accompany  the  wagon. 

CHANGES   RECOMMENDED   IN   TELEPHONE   SERVICE. 

Under  the  present  conditions,  if  a  policeman  desires  to  talk  to  the  desk 
sergeant,  he  must  use  an  outside  telephone,  or,  if  he  uses  the  patrol  box 
telephone  it  is  necessary  for  the  sergeant  to  leave  his  desk  and  go  into  the 
telegraph  room  in  order  to  receive  the  call.  When  the  sergeant's  office  is 
removed  to  the  basement  this  will  .make  it  impossible  for  him  to  answer  box 
calls  without  interfering  with  his  other  duties.  It  is,  therefore,  recommended 
that  the  sergeant's  office  in  the  basement  be  equipped  with  a  telephone  con- 
nected with  the  switchboard  by  an  additional  exchange  so  as  to  make  it 
possible  to  connect  patrol  box  calls  with  the  desk  sergeant.  This  would  also 
relieve  the  telegraph  operator  of  considerable  book-keeping  since  messages 
concerning  police  work  would  be  given  directly  to  the  sergeants  who  should 
be  required  to  keep  their  own  records. 

» 

ABSOLUTE  QUIET  NECESSARY  IN  OPERATOR'S  ROOM. 

The  fire  alarm  telegraph  board  and  the  police  board  are  located  in  the 
same  room.  It  is  very  important  that  absolute  quiet  be  maintained  in  this 
room  and  that  the  operators  be  afforded  the  necessary  privacy.  Therefore, 
it  is  recommended  that  the  rules  prohibit  any  person,  even  members  of  the 
force,  from  entering  this  room  except  upon  business  which  would  make  their 
presence  necessary.  In  order  to  enforce  this  rule  it  will  be  necessary  to 
traijsfer  the  key  to  the  gasoline  tank  to  some  person  other  than  the  telegraph 
operator,  the  present  practice  being  for  the  chauffeurs  desiring  gasoline  to 
procure  the  key  of  the  tank  from  the  operator  and  deposit  with  him  a  receipt 
for  gasoline  taken.  This  is  in  no  sense  a  function  of  the  operator  and  his 
attention  is  necessarily  diverted  from  his  board  because  of  his  duty. 


RULES  AND  REGULATIONS 

The  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  Police  Department,  now  in 
force,  were  adopted  in  1906.  The  manual  is  incomplete  in  that  it  does  not 
provide  sufficient  specific  rules  governing  the  discipline  of  the  force,  the 
records  to  be  maintained  and  the  manner  of  maintaining  them,  and  general 
directions  to  the  force. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 129 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Council  promulgate  a  new  set  of  rules  and 
regulations,  and  that  the  suggested  rules  contained  in  this  report  be  made 
a  part  of  the  new  rules  and  regulations. 

PRESENT  METHOD   OF  ISSUING  RULES  INSUFFICIENT. 

The  present  method  of  issuing  new  rules,  general  orders  and  alarms  for 
missing  persons,,  is  to  read  them  to  the  patrol  force  at  each  outgoing  roll 
call.  The  patrolmen  are  not  required  to  make  notes  either  of  the  orders  or 
the  descriptions  of  missing  and  wanted  persons.  If  policemen  are  to  be 
expected  to  comply  with  the  rules  of  the  Department,  nothing  is  more 
important  than  that  they  know  the  rules.  They  cannot  be  expected  to  know 
the  rules  under  the  present  system,  nor  can  they  be  expected  to  remember 
descriptions  of  persons  wanted.  Thus,  it  serves  no  purpose  to  read  the  rules 
or  general  alarms  to  the  force. 

A  practical  test  of  the  ability  of  the  force  to  remember  descriptions 
from  simply  hearing  them  read,  was  made.  Within  one  minute  after  the 
description  of  a  man  wanted  had  been  read  to  the  night  platoon,,  the  police- 
men were  asked  to  repeat  a  single  item  of  description  contained  in  the 
alarm  read  and  not  one  policeman  present  was  able  to  repeat  any  of  the 
descriptive  marks  concerning  the  missing  man.  This  is  not  at  all  unusual. 
Similar  tests  have  been  conducted  in  many  cities  and  in  almost  every  instance 
results  have  been  the  same.  It  is,  therefore,  suggested  that  all  orders,  special 
and  general,  and  general  alarms  for  missing  and  wanted  persons  be  mimeo- 
graphed on  a  heavy  coated  paper  in  the  form  of  a  daily  bulletin,  and  a  copy 
furnished  each  member  of  the  force. 

When  persons  called  for  on  previous  alarms  are  arrested,,  notice  should 
be  given  to  all  members  of  the  force,  so  that  they  may  remove  the  name 
from  their  list. 

These  daily  bulletins  should  also  include  a  notice  of  commendation  of 
particular  officers  for  making  good  arrests,  and  punishment  meted  out  to 
delinquent  policemen. 

POLICEMEN  SHOULD  BE  REQUIRED  TO   CARRY 
MEMORANDUM  BOOKS. 

While  the  present  rules  of  the  Department  require  that  policemen  shall 
report  sidewalk  obstructions,  streets  and  gutters  in  need  of  cleaning,  etc., 
they  are  not  required  to  carry  memorandum  books  in  which  to  note  such 
conditions.  The  practice  has  been  for  the  patrolmen  to  report  orally  to  the 
district  sergeant.     This   system  has  been  proved  to  be   inefficient. 

As  suggested  previously  in  this  report,  the  Department  should  supply 
the  patrolmen  with  a  standard  memorandum  book  with  perforated  sheets, 
the  sheets  to  be  in  pad  form  so  arranged  as  to  be  easily  placed  in  the 
leather  cover.  The  rules  should  provide  a  regular  form,  so  that  each  patrol- 
man will  have  a  model  to  guide  him  in  making  his  report.  All  matters  coming 
to  the  attention  of  the  patrol  force  which  should  be  called  to  the  attention 
of  the  chief,,  or  any  city  department,  should  be  entered  in  the  memorandum 
book,  on  separate  sheets,  signed  by  the  patrolman  and  delivered  to  the 
sergeant  on  patrol.  Failure  to  carry  a  memorandum  book  should  constitute 
a  violation  of  the  rules. 


i3o  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

EFFICIENT   PATROL   MEANS   EFFICIENT   INSPECTION. 

The  failure  of  the  Department  to  require  policemen  to  carry  memoran- 
dum books  has  undoubtedly  resulted  in  other  city  bureaus  losing  the  valuable 
services  of  the  patrol  force  as  inspectors.  A  patrolman  is  required  to  patrol 
his  beat  continuously  for  more  than  ten  hours.  It  is  the  experience  of  police 
experts  that  much  of  the  trouble  into  which  policemen  get  in  cities,  is  due 
to  the  leisure  time  while  on  patrol.  The  patrol  force  should  be  made  to 
understand,  and  the  rules  should  be  very  clear  upon  the  subject,  that  their 
duty  is  not  only  to  walk  back  and  forth  on  their  posts  and  make  arrests 
for  violations  of  the  laws,  but  that  they  must  do  more  than  that — they  must 
cooperate  with  all  the  city  departments  to  carefully  observing  and  reporting 
upon  conditions  on  their  posts,  requiring  the  attention  of  the  respective 
departments  having  jurisdiction. 

In  some  cities  in  this  country  and  in  almost  all  the  cities  in  Europe, 
policemen  are  required  to  make  inspections  for  the  various  departments,  such 
as  health,  fire  and  buildings.  The  Mayor  should  hold  each  patrolman  directly 
responsible  for  all  the  conditions  on  his  post.  The  efficiency  of  the  patrol 
force  in  this  direction  should  not  go  unrewarded  but  should  be  carefully 
considered  in  rating  their  monthly  efficiency  cards.  Much  of  the  inspection 
work  now  being  performed  by  other  city  departments  could  be  reduced  if 
the  policemen  who  have  plenty  of  leisure  time  while  on  patrol,  were  efficient 
in  observing  conditions  and  reporting  upon  them. 

POLICEMEN   PERMITTED  TO   BELONG  TO   POLITICAL 
ORGANIZATIONS. 

Rule  22  of  the  present  manual  reads  as  follows: 

"RIGHT  TO  ELECTIVE  FRANCHISE. 

"The  right  of  every  member  of  the  police  force  to  entertain 
political  or  partisan  opinions,  and  to  express  the  same  when  such  ex- 
pression does  not  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  and 
his  right  to  the  elective  franchise,  will  be  deemed  sacred  and  inviolate." 

Rules  23  and  24  prohibit  members  of  the  Department  from  serving  as 
delegates  to  a  political  convention  or  attending  any  such  convention,  or 
soliciting  votes  at  any  primary  or  regular  election;  but  no  rule  of  the 
Department  prohibits  policemen  from  belonging  to  political  organizations 
nor  from  contributing  to  campaign  funds  nor  soliciting  contributions  to 
campaign  funds. 

An  examination  of  the  records  reveals  the  fact  that  it  is  a  recognized 
custom  for  the  policemen  to  contribute  as  a  body  to  the  political  campaign 
fund  of  the  dominant  party.  One  list  observed  showed  the  receipt  by  a 
campaign  committee  of  a  contribution  from  each  member  of  the  force,  in- 
cluding the  Chief  of  the  Department. 

It  is  recommended  that  all  members  of  the  Police  Department  be 
prohibited  from  membership  in  any  political  organization,  from  soliciting 
contributions  for  political  campaign  funds  and  from  giving  campaign  con- 
tributions.    It  is  now  conceded  by  all  experts  that,  in  the  interest  of  efficiency 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 131 

the  police  force  must  be  kept  out  of  politics.  To  do  this  the  policeman  must 
remain  beyond  even  the  environment  of  the  political  organization.  He  must 
be  kept  free  of  obligation  to  politicians  and  he  must  be  prevented  from 
serving  politicians. 

PERSONAL  BRAVERY  NOT  REWARDED. 

Members  of  the  force  performing  distinguished  acts  of  bravery  receive 
no  departmental  recognition.  Moral  and  physical  courage  may  be  said 
to  be  the  chief  qualifications  of  an  efficient  policeman.  Each  is  equally  im- 
portant. Moral  cowardice,  however,  is  more  dangerous  than  physical 
cowardice.  Yet  it  is  all  important  in  developing  efficiency  in  police  work 
that  policemen  possess  physical  courage  in  the  highest  degree.  There  are 
times  in  the  life  of  every  policeman  when  he  is  called  upon  to  protect  the 
lives  of  others.  No  meritorius  act  of  bravery  involving  the  risk  of  life 
in  its  performance  should  go  unrewarded. 

MEDALS  FOR  BRAVERY  SHOULD  BE  AWARDED. 

Distinguished  acts  for  bravery  should  receive  special  departmental 
recognition  and  for  purposes  of  making  annual  awards  the  sergeants  and  the 
chief  should  constitute  a  Board  of  Honor.  This  Board  should  meet  once 
a  year  and  consider  all  heroic  acts  referred  to  it  during  the  year.  To  the 
policeman  who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  members  of  the  Board,  performed  the 
most  distinguished  act  of  bravery  should  be  awarded  a  gold  medal  to  be 
officially  known  as  the  department  medal.  Other  members  of  the  force  who 
have  performed  acts  of  bravery  should  be  awarded  honorable  mention. 

The  members  of  the  force  performing  especially  distinguished  duty  in 
which  they  exhibited  extraordinary  intelligence  and  efficiency,  but  in  which 
no  risk  of  life  was  incurred,  should  receive  departmental  recognition  under 
the   heading  of  commendation. 

The  presentation  of  the  departmental  gold  medal  should  be  made  with 
appropriate  ceremonies  by  the  Mayor  on  the  day  of  the  general  inspection. 

The  officer  to  whom  the  department  gold  medal  is  awarded  should  be 
authorized  to  wear  a  small  gold  star  on  his  uniform  sleeve  immediately  above 
his  service  stripes,  while  policemen  receiving  honorable  mention  should  be 
authori  ed  to  wear  a  silver  star,  and  those  receiving  commendation  a  bronze 
star. 


MAGISTRATE'S  COURT 

NO  COURT  HELD  ON  SUNDAY. 

Two  aldermen  are  assigned  by  the  Mayor  to  sit  as  magistrates  in  police 
cases.  Court  is  held  each  morning  except  Sunday,  and  remains  in  session 
until  all  the  prisoners  have  been  given  a  hearing.  The  Mayor  sits  as 
magistrate  in  all  cases  where  the  arrests  have  been  made  upon  warrants 
issued  by  him.     He  occasionally  sits  as  magistrate  on  Sunday. 

According  to  the  records,  it  appears  that  there  are  more  arrests  made 
on  Saturday  afternoon  and  night  than  on  any  other  day  of  the  week.    Because 


132 POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

there  are  no  regular  sessions  of  the  Court  on  Sunday,  it  is  necessary  to  hold 
all  the  prisoners  arrested  on  Saturday  in  cells  until  Monday  morning,  except 
those  who  are  able  to  procure  bail  or  produce  a  forfeit. 

Section  21  of  article  5  of  the  act  providing  for  the  incorporation,  regula- 
tion and  government  of  cities  of  the  third  class,,  reads  as  follows:  "To  pro- 
vide for  the  erection  or  purchase  of  lock-ups  or  watch-houses  in  some  con- 
venient part  of  the  city,  for  the  detention  and  confinement  of  vagrants  and 
persons  arrested  by  the  police  officers,  until  the  persons  so  arrested  can  be 
taken  before  the  proper  magistrate  for  hearing,  and  committed  to  prison  or 
discharged:  But  no  person  shall  be  detained  therm  for  a  longer  time  than 
twenty-four  hours,  except  upon  the  order  of  a  magistrate  legally  authorized 
who  may  commit  such  person  for  further  hearing."  This  section  of  the 
law  prohibits  the  detention  of  a  prisoner  for  more  than  twenty-four  hours 
except  upon  the  order  of  the  magistrate.  Therefore,  the  necessity  for  the 
holding  of  Court  on  Sunday  in  order  to  comply  with  the  above  section, 
seems  obvious.  But  aside  from  the  law  upon  the  subject,  the  fact  that  the 
city  does  not  provide  food  for  prisoners  (except  bread  and  water),,  and  that 
the  cells  in  the  City  Hall  are  insanitary  and  filthy  dungeons,  makes  the 
holding  of  Sunday  Court  absolutely  necessary.  Sunday  sessions  of 
Magistrate's  Court  are  held  in  all  the  large  cities  in  Pennsylvania.  The  law 
presumes  the  defendant  innocent  until  proved  guilty.  Under  this  theory  of 
law  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the  State  to  provide,  as  far  as  possible,,  an  im- 
mediate hearing  before  a  magistrate,  of  a  person  accused  of  crime.  Other- 
wise innocent  persons  may  well  be  made  to  suffer  unjustly  by  prolonged 
detention  in  prison,  pending  a  magistrate's   hearing. 

MAGISTRATES  SHOULD  BE  AVAILABLE  DURING  THE  DAY. 

Upon  this  theory  of  law,  it  should  be  possible  in  this  city  for  a  defendant 
to  receive  a  hearing  if  arrested  before  sundown.  The  magistrate  could 
arrange  with  the  chief  of  police  to  be  on  hand  to  hold  Court  in  the  afternoons 
in  the  event  of  there  being  any  prisoners  to  be  arraigned.  This  would  serve 
as  a  great  convenience  to  the  Police  Department  in  that  it  would  not  be 
necessary  to  detain  prisoners  for  any  length  of  time  in  the  City  Hall,  and 
would  thus  afford  the  citizen'  immediate  relief.  The  need  for  disposing  of 
Police  Court  cases  in  the  city  is  especially  pressing  because  of  the  unsanitary 
condition  of  the  cells,  which  will  be  discussed  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

For  the  same  reason  it  is  recommended  that  magistrates  abandon  the 
present  practice  of  causing  prisoners  to  be  detained  in  the  cells  of  the  City 
Hall  for  forty-eight  hours  under  commitment.  This  recommendation  is  made 
particularly  because  of  the  inability  of  the  Department  to  supply  prisoners 
with  food,  so  detained. 

RECORD   OF   MAGISTRATE   PROCEEDINGS   INADEQUATE. 

The  present  practice  is  to  arraign  the  prisoners  before  the  magistrate 
and  have  the  arresting  officer  make  his  charge  orally.  Except  that  the  charge 
against  the  prisoner  appears  in  the  docket  maintained  by  the  Police  Depart- 
ment, there  is  no  record  so  far  as  the  magistrate  is  concerned,  of  the  com- 
plained  against   the   prisoner.     Even   the   complaint   against   the   prisoner   as 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  133 

it  appears  in  the  docket  is  inadequate,  in  that  it  does  not  contain  a  statement 
of  facts  in  connection  with  the  arrest  and  complaint. 

When  the  magistrate  disposes  of  the  case  he  makes  no  written  memoran- 
dum over  his  signature,  either  of  his  finding  of  guilt  or  innocence,  of  the 
punishment  administered  or  other  disposition  of  the  case.  The  only  time 
the  magistrate  does  any  writing  is  when  a  defendant  is  sent  to  jail,  in  which 
case  he  signs  a  commitment.* 

The  following  procedure  with  regard  to  the  arraignment  of  prisoners 
is  recommended : 

a.  When    the    prisoner   is    arraigned  before  the  magistrate,  the  arresting 

officer  should  be  required  to  hand  to  the  magistrate  a  formal  com- 
plaint, written  upon  a  specially  provided  form  which  should  contain 
a  complete  statement  of  facts  in  connection  with  the  arrest.  The 
officer  should  sign  the  same  in  affidavit  form.  A  space  should  be 
provided  for  a  jurat  for  the  magistrate  to  sign  when  he  swears 
the  policeman.  On  the  reverse  side  of  the  complaint  there  should 
be  provided  a  form  for  the  magistrate  to  sign  and  fill  in  when  he 
disposes  of  the  case.  The  statement  contained  in  the  affidavit  of 
complaint  should  be  precisely  the  same  as  the  statement  contained 
in  the  arrest  blotter  which  will  be  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this 
report. 

The  arresting  officer  should  have  his  complaint  all  prepared  and 
ready  for  presentation  to  the  magistrate  before  court  opens. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  by  this  method  not  only  will  the  records  with 
regard  to  the  disposition  of  cases  in  the  magistrate's  court  be 
complete,  but  the  police  officer  will  be  required  to  reduce  his  com- 
plaint to  writing  over  his  signature  and  under  oath,  both  as  a 
protection  to  the  police  officer  himself  and  to  the  magistrate.  The 
importance  of  this  document  can  be  understood  when  it  is  realized 
that  no  stenographic  minutes  are  taken  in  the  magistrate's  court 
except  when  the  Mayor  sits  as  magistrate,  and  no  detailed  state- 
ment of  facts  in  connection  with  any  case  is  made  a  part  of  the 
record. 

b.  A  special  form  of  receipt  to  be  delivered  to  defendants  when  they  are 

required  to  pay  a  fine,,  should  be  provided. 

SANITARY  CONDITION  OF  CELLS 

CELLS  INSANITARY. 

The  prisoners  are  taken  to  the  city  hall  where  the}'  are  placed  in  cells 
located  in  the  basement  of  the  building.  There  are  seven  cells,  four  located 
on  the  side  of  the  building  facing  Franklin  street,  each  having  one  window 
out  into  the  street,  and  three  cells  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  building.  The 
toilets  in  these  cells  are  of  the  oldest  type  of  plumbing,  filthy,  dirty  and  posi- 


*  A  card  record  which  will  partly  correct  this  condition   is  in  course   of 
installation. 


134  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


tively  insanitary.  None  of  the  cells  is  equipped  with  lights.  Sunlight  never 
enters  them.  They  are  of  the  ancient  torture  dungeon  type.  There  is  no 
running  drinking  water  in  them,  so  that  when  a  prisoner  desires  a  drink,  it 
is  necessary  for  him  to  summon  the  turnkey,  who  is  usually  not  within  easy 
call  of  the  prisoners. 

The  condition  existing  in  this  cell  house  is  such  that,  if  privately  owned, 
would  not  be  tolerated  for  a  moment  by  the  health  officials  of  the  city.  When 
the  cells  were  inspected,  the  officials  advised  the  investigator  not  to  enter 
them  because  of  their  filthy  condition,  warning  him  that  they  were  "alive" 
with  vermin.  As  constructed  at  present,  it  would  be  physically  impossible 
to  keep  these  cells  clean  and  sanitary,  but  pending  the  erection  of  a  new 
cell  house  or  police  station,  the  present  cell  house  could  be  made  considerably 
more  comfortable  and  sanitary  by  the  expenditure  of  a  small  sum  of  money. 

Therefore,  it  is  recommended  that  the  stone  walls  on  the  front  of  these 
cells  be  removed  and  ordinary  steel  bars  be  substituted,  thus  affording  ade- 
quate ventilation.  An  electric  light  should  be  installed  in  each,  sunk  in  the 
ceiling  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  beyond  reach  of  the  prisoner.  These 
lights  should  be  on  separate  switches  so  that  it  would  not  be  necessary 
to  light  the  entire  cell  house  to  furnish  light  for  any  one  cell. 

All  the  plumbing  should  be  removed  and  up-to-date  plumbing  installed, 
with  an  automatic  flushing  system  to  be  controlled  from  one  end  of  the  cell 
house. 

In  violation  of  even  common  decency,  and  the  laws  of  almost  every  State 
in  the  United  States,  women  prisoners  are  detained  in  the  same  cell  house 
as  male  prisoners,,  although  in  a  separate  cell.  The  only  difference  in  the 
women's  cell  being  that  it  is  larger  and  has  a  wooden  door.  Though  the 
city  employs  a  matron  who  receives  $25  a  month,  and  whose  only  function 
is  to  search,  care  for  and  guard  women  prisoners,  she  is  only  summoned 
when  it  is  desired  to.  search  a  woman  prisoner.  So  infrequent  are  her  offi- 
cial visits  to  the  Police  Department,  that  she  performs  practically  no  service 
for  the  city.  She  files  a  monthly  report  with  the  Mayor,  concerning  woman 
prisoners,  but  compiles  this  report  not  upon  personal  observation  of  the 
prisoners,  but  from  the  records  of  the  department  furnished  her  by  the  chief. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Council  immediately  provide  an  entirely 
separate  place  of  detention  for  woman  prisoners.  The  room  located  imme- 
diately opposite  the  present  court  room,  and  now  used  as  a  sitting  room 
for  the  policemen,  could  be  arranged  as  a  cell  house  for  woman  prisoners. 
In  this  room  there  should  be  provided  a  place  for  the  matron  to  remain  when 
there  are  woman  prisoners.  The  cells  should  be  so  arranged  as  to  provide 
at  least  one  cell  equipped  with  a  clean  and  comfortable  bed. 

If  it  is  found  impracticable  to  arrange  for  a  place  of  detention  in  the  city 
hall  for  women  prisoners,  it  is  then  recommended  that  the  Council  endeavor 
to  make  arrangements  with  the  county  officials  so  that  women  prisoners 
may  be  temporarily  detained  at  the  expense  of  the  city  in  the  county  jail 
where  there  is  a  matron.  If  this  plan  were  followed,,  the  services  of  the 
present  matron  could  be  dispensed  with.  At  any  rate,  other  arrangements 
rhould  be  made  for  the  services  of  a  matron. 

The  ordinance  should  require  that  no  female  prisoner  would  ever  be 
detained  in  the  same  place  of  detention  as  male  prisoners,  and  at  no  time 
should  a  female  prisoner  be  detained  unless  she  is  in  the  custody  of  the  matron. 


, POLICE   DEPARTMENT 135 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  FORCE 

ANTIQUATED  METHOD  OF  PATROL. 

The  present  system  of  patrol  has  been  in  operation  for  many  years.  It 
is  wholly  inadequate  and  manifestly  unfair  both  to  the  policeman  and  to 
the  private  citizen.  Except  that  additional  men  have  been  added  and  addi- 
tional patrol  boxes  installed,  notwithstanding  that  the  city  has  increased 
in  population,  area  and  importance,  no  effort  has  been  made  to  install  an 
equitable  platoon  system  which  would  raise  the  efficiency  of  the  force  and 
add  to  the  comfort  of  the  policeman. 

NO  RESERVE  FORCE. 

The  patrol  force  is  divided  into  two  platoons  or  sections,  with  tours  of 
duty  as  follows:  7  A.  M.  to  5:50  P.  M.  and  6:15  P.  M.  to  5:30  A.  M. 

The  city  is  divided  into  twenty  day  posts  and  fifty-four  night  posts.  Thus, 
between  the  hours  of  7  A.  M.  and  5:50  P.  M.  there  are  twenty  policemen  on 
patrol,  and  between  6:15  P.  M.  and  5:30  A.  M.  there  are  fifty-four  policemen 
on  patrol.  At  no  time  during  the  night  or  day  are  there  any  policemen  on 
reserve. 

Because  of  the  present  system  of  "turning  out"  the  patrol  force,  the 
city  is  without  a  patrolman  on  the  streets  between  5:20  P.  M.  and  7  P.  M., 
and  again  the  city  is  without  a  patrol  force  on  duty  between  5  A.  M.  and  7:30 
A.  M.  This  is  because  the  patrolmen  do  not  relieve  each  other  on  posts,, 
but  leave  their  posts  in  some  instances  thirty  minutes  before  the  time  for 
the  "return  call."  It  is  said  by  the  officials  that  during  these  hours  when 
the  policemen  are  changing  from  night  to  day  shift,  the  patrolmen  are  avail- 
able because  some  are  coming  to  the  city  hall  and  others  are  leaving.  This 
is  not  a  fact,  because  the  patrolmen  coming  in  leave  their  posts  almost  an 
hour  before   the   relieving  patrolmen   leave   headquarters. 

PATROL  SYSTEM  UNFAIR  TO  POLICEMEN. 

The  force  is  thus  divided  into  day  and  night  policemen,  and  the  day  and 
night  platoons  never  alternate.  The  result  is  that  Reading  has  many  police- 
men who  have  never  performed  day  duty  and  many  others  who  have  never 
patrolled  in  the  night.  If,  when  a  patrolman  enters  the  service,  he  is  ap- 
pointed to  fill  a  vacancy  in  the  night  platoon,  he  may  continue  his  whole 
career  as  policeman  without  having  ever  served  upon  a  day  tour,  while  his 
more  fortunate  friend,  who,  upon  appointment  is  assigned  to  day  tour,  may 
never  be  required  to  perform  night  duty. 

Only  one  day  off  in  each  month  is  provided  for  the  members  of  the 
force,,  unless  they  desire  to  be  excused  without  salary.  This  may  be  in  part 
responsible  for  the  very  large  percentage  of  absences  from  duty  on  sick  leave. 

TOURS  OF  PATROL  TOO  LONG. 

Both  tours  of  patrol  are  entirely  too  long  to  result  in  efficient  patrolling. 
In  considering  the  creation  of  an  efficient  patrol  system,  efforts  should  be 
confined  exclusively  to  getting  the  work  of  patrolling  done  in  the  most 
effective  manner.     The  following  guiding  points  should  be  considered: 


136 POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

i — Soldiers  on  post  are  two  hours  on  and  four  hours  off  during  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  then  have  at  least  one  day  off  entirely. 

2 — The  rule  on  ships  is  four  hours  on  duty  and  four  hours  off  while 
at  sea  and  that  may  be  for  months. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  walking  along  the  pavement  with  the  arms  hanging 
free  is  not  as  easy  as  it  looks.  It  is  more  fatiguing  physically  than  almost 
any  kind  of  work.  Carpenters,  masons,  blacksmiths — in  fact  nearly  all  trades- 
men— change  their  positions  frequently  and  are  all  day  using  different  muscles 
for  short  periods  and  not  one  set  of  muscles  all  the  time.  A  brisk  walk  is 
less  tiring  than  a  slow  walk.  Add  to  this,  foot  soreness  from  the  pavements, 
the  monotony  of  the  same  post,  day  after  day,  the  passing  of  novelty  as  the 
post  becomes  more  familiar,  the  merely  occasional  need  for  quick  action, 
the  restriction  of  speech,  and  then  on  the  other  hand,  the  numerous  con- 
venient resting  places,  warm  and  dry  in  winter  and  cool  and  shady  in  summer 
— all  tempting  a  man  from  alertness  and  duty  to  inattention  and  neglect  of 
duty — and  it  can  be  seen  that  police  patrol  work,  properly  done,  is  not  as 
easy  as  it  might  seem. 

The  city's  demand  on  its  men  should  be  reasonable  and  in  devising  patrol 
systems  consideration  should  not  only  be  given  to  securing  proper  and  ade- 
quate patrol,  but  likewise  to  protecting  the  physical  condition  of  the  police- 
men. No  tour  of  patrol  should  ever  exceed  eight  continuous  hours.  The 
ideal  course  is  four  hours  but  the  system  most  popular  in  large  cities,  both 
with  the  policemen  and  those  responsible  for  the  administration  of  affairs 
of  the  police,  is  the  five  platoon  system  which  calls  for  six-hour  tour  of  patrol. 

PATROL  SYSTEM  UNFAIR  TO  CITIZENS. 

For  many  years  the  city  has  been  without  any  patrol  service  for  almost 
four  hours  a  day,  as  pointed  out  above;  from  5:20  P.  M.  to  7  P.  M.  and  from 
5  A.  M.  to  7:30  A.  M. 

While  it  is  essential  that  the  streets  be  properly  patrolled,,  it  is  equally 
important  that  an  adequate  reserve  force  be  available  for  use  in  emergencies. 
So  important  is  this  that  it  is  the  practice  in  most  cities  for  police  chiefs  to 
keep  constantly  in  front  of  them  upon  their  desk  a  chart  showing  the  location 
and  number  of  men  in  reserve.  No  platoon  system  is  efficient  unless  it  pro- 
vides for  an  adequate  reserve  force  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  the  size  of  the 
reserve  force  depending  entirely  upon  the  size  of  the  city  and  local  condi- 
tions. Reading  does  not  need  a  large  reserve  force  because  of  the  availa- 
bility of  the  men  on  patrol  through  the  "red  light"  system,  but  it  can  scarcely 
be  said  that  the  city  should  be  without  any  reserve  force. 

RE-APPORTIONMENT  OF  PATROL  POSTS  NECESSARY. 

The  present  system  of  circular  posts  is  antiquated  and  obsolete.  Its 
principal  objection  is  that  it  is  difficult  for  a  citizen  to  find  a  policeman  when 
needed  and  it  is  equally  difficult  for  the  sergeants  on  patrol  to  readily  locate 
the  patrol  force.  The  posts  as  laid  out  at  present  do  not  provide  as  equitable 
distribution  of  the  men  and  they  have  been  created  without  due  regard  for 
local  conditions,  with  the  result  that  the  business  section  of  the  city  is  over- 
policed   at   the   expense   of  the   residential   section.     It   is   recommended  that 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT 137 

a  study  of  the  posts  be  made  with  a  view  to  re-apportioning  the  entire  city 
and  to  installing  the  avenue  and  side  street  patrol  system  to  take  the  place 
of  the  circular  patrol.  By  a  careful  re-^pportionment  of  the  posts  and  a  re- 
distribution of  the  men  based  upon  the  local  conditions,  more  efficient  ser- 
vice can  be  rendered  and  the  policemen  made  more  valuable  without  the 
addition  of  many  policemen. 

A  NEW  PLATOON  SYSTEM  SHOULD  BE  PUT  INTO  EFFECT. 

A  new  platoon  system  should  be  provided  at  once.  In  arranging  the 
tours  of  duty  provision  should  be  made  for  the  following: 

1 — The  least  number  of  men  on  patrol  from  6  A.  M.  to  8  P.  M. 

2 — The  greatest  number  of  men  on  patrol  from  10  P.  M.  to  6  A.  M. 

3 — A  reserve  at  all  hours  of  the  day  sufficient  to  meet  the  demands  of 
the   city. 

4 — Twenty-fours  consecutive  hours  off  duty  at  least  once  in  each  week 
for  each  patrolman. 

5 — Tours  of  duty  not  to  exceed  eight  continuous  hours  of  patrol. 

6 — A  five-day  cycle  so  that  the  platoons  will  alternate  every  five  days. 

In  working  out  a'  platoon  system  for  the  city,  consideration  should, 
however,  be  given  to  the  following  well  known  systems: 

The  two  platoon; 

The  three  platoon; 

The  four  platoon; 

The  five-platoon; 

The  six  section. 

In  determining  the  number  of  hours  each  patrolman  should  work  in  the 
week,  reserve  duty  should  be  considered  as  half  working  time,  inasmuch  as 
all  policemen  should  be  required  to  sleep  during  their  tour  of  reserve. 

PROVISION  SHOULD  BE  MADE  TO  COVER  BEATS  DURING 
HOURS  NOW  UNCOVERED. 

Pending  the  installation  of  a  new  platoon  system,  arrangement  should 
be  made  at  once  to  cover  the  beats  during  the  hours  which  they  are  at 
present  left  unpatrolled.  This  can  be  done  by  requiring  the  men  to  remain 
on  their  posts  until  they  meet  their  reliefs.  Relieving  points  should  be  estab- 
lished at  once,,  where  the  rules  should  require  the  patrolman  on  post  to 
wait  until  his  relief  reports  to  him. 

PLAN  FOR  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  APPORTIONMENT  OF  BEATS. 

The  sergeants  should  be  instructed  to  make  a  careful  study  of  the  layout 
of  the  beats  in  their  districts,  and  to  report  upon  the  conditions  existing  on 
each  post.  These  reports  should  form  the  basis  of  an  analysis  of  the  present 
distribution  of  the  force  and  a  re-apportionment  of  the  beats.  In  order  to 
make  this  study,  sergeants  should  be  required  to  furnish  in  writing  the  follow- 
ing information  concerning  their  districts: 
1 — Number  of  miles  of  streets. 
2 — Area  in   square  miles. 


138  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


3 — Approximate  population. 

4 — Approximate  area  of  portion  of  unimproved  property  in  blocks. 
5 — Character   of  population   in%listrict   in    respect   of   proportion   repre- 
sented by  the  following  classes: 
a — Foreign; 
b — Residential; 
c — Factory; 
d — Business; 
e— Hotel. 
6 — Peculiarity    or    distinctiveness    in    character    of    inhabitants    or    fre- 
quenters of  the  district. 
7 — Number  of  day  posts. 
8 — Number  of  night  posts. 
9 — Number  of  mounted  posts,  day  and  night, 
io — Number  of  special  details. 

ii — Number  of  private  watchmen  or  special  patrolmen. 
12 — Total  number  of  arrests,  year  by  year  for  last  two  years,  classified 

as  to   crime  by  sex. 
13 — Number  of  persons  aided. 
14 — Number  of  fires. 

15 — Number  of  robberies  reported  for  last  two  years. 
16 — Total  number  of  felonies  reported. 

When  all  these  facts  are  collected  and  studied  the  posts  should  be  re- 
arranged and  the  force  re-distributed  in  accordance  with  the  needs,  as  sug- 
gested by  this  study. 

ADDITIONAL  MOTORCYCLE  POLICEMAN  NEEDED. 

The  department  has  at  present  one  motorcycle  man  who  performs  ser- 
vice during  the  night.  It  is  recommended  that  provision  be  made  by  the 
Council  for  the  appointment  of  an  additional  motorcycle  policeman  to  per- 
form duty  during  the  day. 

INSUFFICIENT  PATROLMEN. 

Because  of  the  absence  of  detailed  crime  records  and  records  of  com- 
plaint, it  is  difficult  to  determine  the  adequacy  or  inadequacy  of  the  present 
number  of  patrolmen.  Based  upon  the  population  and  area,  it  would  appear 
that  the  present  number  of  patrolmen  is  too  few.  The  long  hours  of  patrol, 
the  lack  of  reserve  force  and  the  absence  of  a  regular  platoon  system  are, 
according  to  the  chief,,  due  to  the  small  number  of  policemen. 

The  study  of  conditions  recommended  above  should  form  the  basis  of 
determining  the  number  of  patrolmen  needed.  Without  this  information  it 
will  be  almost  impossible  to  recommend  the  appointment  of  additional  police- 
men, except  that  as  compared  with  other  cities,  on  a  population  and  area 
basis,  the  police  force  of  this  city  should  be  made  up  of  at  least  one  hundred 
members.  To  increase  the  force  to  this  number  would  require  the  immediate 
appointment  of  two  patrolmen  in  addition  to  the  two  sergeants  and  the  two 
detectives  whose  appointment  is  already  recommended  in  this  report.  Because 
of  the  limited  time  in  which  this  survey  was  made,  it  was  not  possible  to 
make  any  field  study  of  local  conditions. 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  139 


NEED  FOR  MORE  RED  SIGNAL  LIGHTS. 

There  are  at  present  47  red  signal  lamps  distributed  throughout  the  city. 
These  lights  are  used  to  summon  the  policemen  to  the  signal  boxes  in  emer- 
gencies. Two  separate  tests  of  these  lights  were  made  during  the  survey. 
Both  of  the  tests  were  satisfactory  in  that  the  majority  of  the  policemen 
responded  to  the  signal  within  a  reasonable  time  after  the  lights  were  flashed. 
Some  of  these  signal  lights  are  located  too  close  to  arc  lights,  thus  reducing 
their  efficiency  as  a  signal. 

There  is  need  for  the  installation  of  additional  signal  lights  and  a  re- 
arrangement of  a  number  of  those  at  present  in  use. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Superintendent  of  Electricity  make  a  study 
of  the  location  of  the  present  signal  lights  and  report  to  Council,  with  a  view 
to  re-arranging  many  of  those  at  present  in  use  and  erecting  additional  lights. 

TRAFFIC 

There  are  at  present  three  crossings  on  Penn  street  established  as 
traffic  posts  and  covered  daily.  These  posts  are  located  at  Penn  and  Fourth, 
Penn  and  Sixth  and  Penn  and  Ninth  streets.  The  corner  of  Penn  and  Second 
streets  has  been  established  as  a  temporary  traffic  post  and  is  covered  be- 
tween five  and  six-thirty  P.  M.  In  addition  to  these  posts  there  are  two 
mounted  policemen  whose  duties  include  traffic  regulation  on  Penn  street 
and  adjacent  streets  north  and  south  of  Penn  street. 

While  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  the  four  traffic  foot  posts,  it  is  unneces- 
sary to  have  mounted  men  regulating  traffic  or  performing  duty  on  Penn 
street.  The  topography  of  Penn  street  and  the  arrangement  of  the  street 
car  tracks  makes  the  regulation  of  traffic  thereon  specially  easy  so  far  as 
vehicular  traffic  is   concerned. 

There  are  nine  policemen  regularly  assigned  to  cover  the  three  regular 
foot  posts,  relieving  each  other  at  three  hour  intervals.  Thus  each  of  the 
nine  performs  three  hours  traffic  duty.  This  plan  is  an  effective  one  and 
should  be  continued. 

SAFETY  AISLES  NEEDED. 

The  extreme  width  of  Penn  Square  makes  the  handling  of  pedestrians  at 
crossings  difficult  because  of  the  absence  of  safety  aisles. 

Persons  desirous  of  boarding  the  street  cars' are  required  to  stand  in  the 
middle  of  the  street  adjacent  to  the  car  track  without  any  protection  against 
traffic.  If  persons  desiring  to  board  street  cars  wait  upon  the  sidewalk  until 
the  arrival  of  their  car,  they  must,  mingle  with  the  vehicular  traffic  in  order 
to  reach  the  street  car,,  thus  endangering  their  lives.  Much  confusion  at  the 
crossings  would  be  avoided  and  added  protection  furnished  to  pedestrians 
if  safety  aisles  were  provided. 

The  creation  of  safety  zones  or  aisles  is  comparatively  inexpensive.  In 
order  to  make  Penn  street  very  much  safer,  therefore,  it  is  recommended  that 
for  persons  desiring  to  board  street  cars  going  east,  two  safety  aisles  be 
provided  on  Penn  street — one  near  the  corner  of  Sixth  street,  immediately 
in  front  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  the  other  near  the  southwest  corner 


140  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

of  Fifth  street,  immediately  in  front  of  the  National  Union  Bank;  and  for 
persons  desiring  to  board  cars  going  west  that  two  safety  aisles  be  pro- 
vided on  Penn  street — one  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Fifth  street,  imme- 
diately in  front  of  Stichter's  hardware  store  and  the  other  near  the  northeast 
corner  of  Fourth  street,  immediately  in  front  of  the  Hoff  Bros,  hardware  store. 

HOW  TQ  ESTABLISH  SAFETY  AISLES. 

There  are  two  very  inexpensive  methods  of  establishing  safety  zones  or 
aisles: 

i — By  roping  off  a  section  of  the  street  parallel  with  the  car  track,  with 
with  a  rope  supported  on  iron  stanchions.     These  stanchions  should 
have  red  lights  on  them  during  the  night. 
2 — By   erecting   a   platform    of   wood   or   concrete,   parallel   with   the    car 
track.     Such   platform   should   not  be   raised   more   than   six  inches, 
and  should  have  a  runway  on  each  end  instead  of  steps.    There  should 
be   a  post   at   either   end   of  the   platform  upon  which  to  place   red 
lanterns  or  electric  lights  during  the  night.     The  advantage  of  using 
a  platform,,  of  course,  is  that  it  makes  it  easier  fpr  persons  to  board 
the  cars  and  provides  a  dry  spot  on  stormy  days. 
If   a   platform   is   used,   however,   it   is    recommended   that   a   portable 
platform    be    erected    in    order    that    at    any    time    the    entire    street 
might  be  needed  for  parades,  etc.,  the  platform  could  be  removed. 
Thus,  persons  desiring  to  board  street  cars  on  Penn  Square  would  have 
a  place  set  aside  for  them  in  the  centre  of  the  street  where  they  could  wait 
for  the  arrival  of  the  car  without  being  inconvenienced  by  vehicular  traffic. 

These  safety  zones  should  be  created-  by  ordinance,  and  vehicular  traffic 
should  be  prohibited  from  driving  over  the  car  tracks  within  the  zones. 

TRAFFIC  MEN  SHOW  LACK  OF  TRAINING. 

The  policemen  at  present  assigned  to  traffic  duty  are  untrained  for  their 
work.  Their  lack  of  uniformity  of  regulating  traffic  and  their  apparent  lack 
of  knowledge  of  proper  methods  of  regulating  traffic  makes  imperative  the 
placing  of  trained  men  on  the  three  corners  already  established  as  traffic 
posts. 

As  a  result  of  careful  study,  the  regulation  of  traffic  upon  public  streets 
has  been  standardized  as  to  methods.  In  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Chic- 
ago, all  traffic  men  are  specially  trained  for  their  work. 

It  is,  therefore,,  recommended  that  the  Council  send  one  member  of  the 
department  to  Philadelphia  to  observe  and  study  the  system  of  regulating 
traffic  in  use  in  that  city,  in  order  that  he  .may  be  able  to  instruct  the  police- 
men assigned  to  traffic  duty. 

Patrolmen  assigned  to  traffic  duty'  should  wear  upon  their  coat  sleeve  a 
traffic  "wheel." 

It  was  noted  that  some  of  the  patrolmen  now  performing  traffic  duty  are 
too  old  and  not  physically  equipped  for  this  work.  Therefore,  it  is  recom- 
mended that  the  tallest,  most  intelligent  and  best  groomed  policemen  be  as- 
signed to  traffic  dutv. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT  141 


APPROPRIATIONS 

It  is  almost  impossible  without  a  careful  analysis  of  all  the  vouchers  in 
the  Controller's  office  to  determine  the  exact  cost  of  the  operation  of  the 
Police  Department.  It  has  been  the  practice  to  charge  as  an  expense  against 
the  Police  Department  the  salary  of  the  Mayor  and  a  number  of  items  con- 
cerning the  maintenance  of  the  city  hall. 

The  matter  of  budget  appropriations  will  be  found  discussed  in  a  report 
of  the  Finance  Department,  and,  therefore,  will  not  be  made  a  part  of  this 
report. 


APPOINTMENTS 

APPOINTMENTS  CONTROLLED  BY  POLITICIANS. 

If  Reading  is  to  have  an  efficient  police  force  it  must  have  a  permanent 
force.  The  policeman  must  be  the  representative  of  all  the  citizens  and  not 
an  agent  of  political  parties  or  factions.  A  policeman's  appointment  must 
depend  entirely  upon  his  special  fitness  for  the  position  of  policeman  and  this 
fitness  must  be  determined  by  a  fair  and  intelligent  competitive  examination. 
It  is  needless  to  state  the  importance  of  having  an  efficient  police  force  and 
should  be  needless  to  point  out  that  a  police  force  which  changes  its  entire 
membership  with  each  change  of  administration  can  never  be  an  efficient 
force.  The  efficient  policeman  must  be  an  impartial,  unbiased,  unprejudiced 
officer  of  the  law,  controlled  only  by  his  own  conscience  and  a  desire  to  pro- 
tect the  entire  citizenship  by  an  honest  enforcement  of  the  law.  If  a  police- 
man is  to  remain  in  office  only  while  the  political  party  with  which  he  is 
affiliated  is  successful,  it  is  only  natural  to  assume  that  he  will  use  the  power 
of  his  office  to  secure,  if  possible,  the  re-election  of  the  political  party 
through  whom  he  secured  his  appointment  and  upon  whose  success  his  re- 
tention in  office  depends.  Therefore,  under  such  a  system  as  is  in  operation 
today  it  is  unnatural  to  assume  that  a  police  officer  can  remain  impartial, 
unbiased  and  unprejudiced  in  the  performance  of  his  duties.  His  livelihood 
is  dependent  upon  the  success  of  his  political  master  and  it  is  scarcely 
possible  for  him  to  be  efficient  as  a  police  officer  if  he  must  serve  this  political 
master.  To  understand  the  present  condition  in  Reading  it  is  only  necessary 
to  recall  that  since  1890  the  personnel  of  the  Police  Department  has  been 
completely  changed  seven  times. 

ONLY  WARD  WORKERS  APPOINTED  POLICEMEN. 

An  examination  of'  the  records,  verified  by  statements  from  the  chief 
of  the  department  as  well  as  the  Mayor  himself,  proves  that  only  faithful 
political  ward  workers  are  appointed  policemen  in  this  city.  The  chief  quali- 
fication for  appointment  to  the  police  force  is  faithful  service  at  the  polls 
at  election  time.  The  applications  of  the  present  members  of  the  force  showed 
a  peculiar  frankness  on  the  part  of  the  candidates;  practically  each  one  of 
tli em  offered  as  their  chief  qualification  for  the  office  of  policeman  their 
diligence  and  faithfulness  as  political  workers  at  .the  polls.     While  in  soine 


142  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

instances  the  recommendations  which  accompanied  some  of  the  applications, 
contained  passing  reference  to  the  ability  of  the  candidate  suggested,'  in 
almost  all  cases  they  laid  stress  upon  the  capability  of  the  candidate  as  a 
political  worker. 

The  policeman  who  is  made  to  understand  that  his  success  in  securing 
an  appointment  was  entirely  due  to  his  capability  as  a  political  worker,  has 
little  difficulty  in  realizing  that  his  retention  in  the  service  and  his  success  as 
a  policeman  must  necessarily  depend  upon  his  continued  political  influence. 
The  viciousness  of  this  system  was  recognized  many  years  ago  in  the  large 
cities  throughout  the  country. 

Civic  agencies  and  students  of  civic  government  are  striving  to  remove 
the  police  of  America  from  politics  and  free  that  function  of  government  from 
political  influence.  Indeed,,  in  practically  all  the  large  cities,  so  far  as  appoint- 
ments and  promotions  are  concerned,  civil  service  tests  have  partially  suc- 
ceeded in  destroying  political  interference. 

MEN  SELECTED  WITHOUT  REGARD  TO  AGE,  EDUCATION 
OR  PHYSICAL  CONDITION. 

There  is  no  rule  of  the  department  nor  ordinance  establishing  special 
qualifications  for  police  service.  Policemen  have  been  appointed  without 
regard  to  age.  there  being  no  minimum  nor  maximum  age  requirement. 
They  are  appointed  without  regard  to  their  previous  training,  or  education, 
there  being  no  educational  tests  nor  examination.  They  are  appointed  without 
regard  to  their  physical  condition,  there  being  no  physical  examination  and 
no  physician's  certificate  of  examination  required. 

Not  even  is  the  applicant  required  to  furnish  any  definite  information 
concerning  his  previous  history.  The  previous  occupations  of  the  present 
members  of  the  force,  so  far  as  the  records  of  the  department  are  concerned, 
are  unknown  to  the  officials  in  charge.  No  regular  printed  form  of  applica- 
tion is  provided  for  applicants;  therefore,  there  is  little  or  no  information 
concerning  the  present  members  of  the  force  on  file  in  the  city  hall.  The 
results  of  the  failure  of  the  city  to  provide  specific  rules  and  regulations 
governing  appointment  to  the  force  are  that  many  of  the  policemen,  after 
serving  only  three  or  four  years,  are  now  at  an  age  when  it  is  impossible 
for  them  to  perform  efficient  active  patrol,  and  the  percentage  of  sickness 
among  members  of  the  force  is  considerably  higher  than  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Chicago  and  Pittsburgh. 

MEN  ADVANCED  IN  YEARS  ADMITTED  TO  POLICE  FORCE. 

While  in  most  cities  the  minimum  age  for  appointment  to  the  police 
force  is  21  years,  the  maximum  age  30  years  and  the  average  age  for  appoint- 
ment 25,  policemen  have  been  appointed  to  Reading's  police  force  who  have 
already  celebrated  their  fifty-ninth  birthday.  Some  idea  of  the  ages  of  police- 
men appointed  in  this  city  can  be  had  from  the  following  table.  This  table 
shows  the  ages  of  members  of  the  present  force  (who  were  more  than  thirty 
years  of  age)  at  the  time  of  their  appointment: 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 143 

Age    at    Time    of   Appointment  Number    Appointed. 

3 
3 

4  , 
3 

5 

3 

5 

5 

6 

1 

4 

3 

3 

4 

1 

6 

1 

2 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

3 

Of  the  total  force  of  ninety-two,  ten  members  are  more  than  fifty-live 
years  of  age.  Two  of  them,  although  only  in  the  service  five  years,  are  now 
sixty-four  years  of  age. 

It  is  recommended  that  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  specifying  the  mini- 
mum and  maximum  age  at  which  appointments  may  be  made  to  the  Police 
Department.  The  experience  of  other  cities,,  and  especially  those  having 
pension- fund  systems,  is  that  the  policemen  who  come  into  the  service  be- 
tween 21  and  30  years  of  age,  make  the  most  efficient  officers,  and  as  a 
result  have  fixed  the  minimum  age  for  appointment  at  21  and  the  maximum 
age  at  which  a  man  may  enter  the  service  at  30.  They  have  also  provided 
by  law  that  policemen  having  reached  the  age  of  60  may  be  forced  to  retire. 

UNUSUALLY  HIGH   PERCENTAGE   OF   SICKNESS  AMONG 
MEMBERS  OF  THE  FORCE. 

During  the  year  1912,  there  were  877  days  of  sick  leave.  Of  the  total 
force  of  92,  67  were  absent  from  duty  upon  sick  leave,  varying  from  1  to 
67V2  days.  Of  the  877  days  of  sick  leave,  only  71^2  were  due  to  sickness 
resulting  from  injury  in  the  performance  of  duty.  These  figures  show  that 
during  the  year  1912,  the  average  time  off„  due  to  sickness,  was  gV>  days 
per  man.  This,  of  course,  was  in  addition  to  the  regular  monthly  leave  of 
absence  and  vacation  period.  The  average  will  be  even  higher  than  this 
during   1913. 


31 

years 

32 

a 

33 

a 

34 

it 

35 

a 

36 

tt 

37 

tt 

38 

tt 

39 

it 

40 

ft 

4i 

it 

42 

it 

43 

tt 

45 

(t 

46 

n 

47 

it 

48 

tt 

50 

tt 

52 

a 

53 

tt 

54 

it 

55 

a 

56 

it 

57 

ft 

58 

a 

59 

" 

144  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


An  analysis  of  these  figures  indicates  that  the  great  number  of  absences 
from  duty,  and  the  unusually  high  percentage  of  sickness  among  members 
of  the  force,  are  probably  due  to  the  following  causes: 

i — That  the  city  pays  full  time  to  policemen  when  off  duty  on  sick  leave, 
regardless  of  whether  their  illness  is  due  to  their  own  carelessness, 
to  natural  causes,  or  to  injury  received  in  the  performance  of  duty. 

2 — That  there  is  no  fixed  rule  requiring  policemen  when  sick  to  be  ex- 
amined by  a  physician  representing  the  city,  and  that  private  physi- 
cians' certificates  are  only  requested  in  cases  of  prolonged  illness. 

3 — That  members  of  the  force  are  not  given  a  physical  examination  to 
determine  their  physical  fitness  for  service  as  policemen  at  the 
time  of  their  appointment. 

4 — That  policemen  of  advanced  years  are  appointed  regardless  of  their 
general  physical  condition. 

LACK  OF  RECORDS  CONCERNING  HEALTH  OF  THE  FORCE. 

There  are  no  records  available  which  would  be  of  assistance  in  tabulating 
causes  of  illness.  Even  the  doctors'  certificates  do  not  always  state  the 
nature  of  the  illness. 

The  following  cases  taken  from  the  records  showing  the  number  of  days 
leave  of  absence  due  to  illness,  for  which  the  city  paid  full  salary,  may  serve 
to  emphasize  the  need  for  a  physical  examination  of  applicants  for  the  force: 


Number  of 

N 

umber 

of 

Days  Excused 

Case 

Date  Appointed 

Years 

'  Service 

Because 

of    Illness 

a 

1908 

5 

207 

b 

1908 

5 

198 

<* 

1908 

5 

318% 

d 

1911 

iVa 

io7V2 

e 

1908 

5 

254% 

f 

1908 

5 

233V2 

g 

1912 

1 

3SV2 

h 

1911 

1% 

72 

PHYSICAL  EXAMINATION  FOR  APPLICANTS. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  requiring  all 
applicants  for  appointment  to  the  police  force  to  be  given  a  thorough  physical 
examination  in  accordance  with  the  civil  service  rules  now  in  force  in  New 
York,  Chicago,  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburg.  The  health  officer  of  the  city, 
if  a  doctor,  should  also  serve  as  surgeon  to  the  Police  Department.  He 
should  be  required  to  conduct  the  civil  service  physical  examination  of  appli- 
cants for  appointment,  and  examine  all  members  of  the  force  reported  sick. 

The  rule  of  the  department  should  require  that  policemen  reporting  ill, 
shall  visit,  if  possible,  the  medical  officer  of  the  city,  be  examined  by  him  and 
secure  a  certificate  stating: 

1 — Name 

2 — Shield  number 

3 — Beat  number 

4 — Nature  of  illness 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  145 


5 — Probable  cause  of  illness 
6 — Probable  duration  of  illness 
7 — Date    of   examination 

This  certificate  should  be  a  card  record  and  should  be  filed  alphabetically 
in  the  office  of  the  chief.  Ample  space  should  be  provided  on  the  card  upon 
which  to  enter  progress  reports  in  cases  of  prolonged  illness. 

If  the  condition  of  the  policeman  is  such  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  him 
to  visit  the  health  officer,  it  should  be  the  duty  of  the  surgeon  to  attend  the 
policeman  at  his  home.  No  policeman  should  be  excused  from  duty  because 
of  illness,  except  upon  the  certificate  of  the  surgeon,  and  his  return  to  duty 
should  likewise  be  upon  the  written  order  of  the  physician. 

If  the  city  does  not  have  a  medical  officer  in  charge  of  the  Health  De- 
partment, it  is  suggested  that  the  Council  establish  the  position  of  police 
surgeon,  that  his  compensation  be  based  upon  part  time  service,  and  that 
he  receive  a  fixed  amount  for  each  visit  made  by  him  and  each  visit  made 
by  a  policeman  to  his  office. 

POLICEMEN  SHOULD  RECEIVE  HALF  PAY  WHILE  ON  SICK 
LEAVE. 

It  is  recommended  tha*t  the  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  providing  that 
policemen  be  paid  full  salary  when  on  sick  leave  only  where  the  sickness  is 
a  direct  result  of  an  injury  received  in  the  performance  of  duty.  For  all 
other  leaves  of  absence  due  to  illness,  the  ordinance  should  provide  that 
policemen  be  paid  at  the  rate  of  half  their  regular  salary. 

MINIMUM  HEIGHT  OF  POLICEMEN  SHOULD  BE  FIXED  BY 
ORDINANCE. 

Based  on  the  experience  and  practices  in  large  cities,  it  is  recommended 
that  the  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  making  the  minimum  height  for  mem- 
bers of  the  uniformed  force,  five  feet  eight  inches.  The  medical  officer  should 
create  a  weight  schedule  to  correspond  with  the  various  heights,  and  the 
same  should  be  incorporated  in  the  ordinance  regulating  the  appointment 
of  policemen. 

CIVIL  SERVICE  EDUCATIONAL  TESTS  RECOMMENDED. 

It  is  recommended  that  all  appointments  to  the  Police  Department  be 
made  as  a  result  of  a  competitive  civil  service  examination  pursuant  to  the 
following  procedure: 

1 — That  each  applicant  be  required  to  file  an  application  in  writing  upon 
the  regularly  provided  printed  form.  The  application  blank  should 
call  for  definite  and  complete  information  concerning  the  applicant's 
history  and  former  employment.  He  should  also  be  required  to 
state  definitely  whether  he  has  ever  been  arrested,  and  if  so,  detailed 
facts  concerning  the  arrest  and  the  disposition  of  his  case.  The 
application  should  provide  forms  to  be  filled  in  by  four  reputable 
citizens  as  vouchers  for  the  character  of  the.  applicant.  His  present 
employer  should  be  required  to  certify  to  the  character  of  the  work 


146 POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

performed  by  applicant,  the  length  of  service  and  his  habits  while 
in  his  emplo}r.  This  application  should  be  in  the  form  of  an  affida- 
vit and  the  statement  contained  therein  should  be  sworn  to  by  the 
applicant. 

2— The  application  when  filed,  should  be  presented  by  the  applicant  him- 
self and  receive  a  number.  On  one  side  of  the  application  should 
be  a  printed  form  to  be  filled  in  by  the  medical  officer  who  conducts 
the  physical  examination  of  the  applicant. 

3— All  applicants  should  be  given  a  physical  examination  before  they 
are  given  the  mental  test. 

4 — When  vacancies  in  the  Police  Department  occur  and  an  examination 
is  about  to  be  held,  an  advertisement  should  be  inserted  in  the  local 
papers  making  announcement  of  the  number  of  places  to  be  filled, 
the  date  of  examination,  and  the  qualifications  required  for  the 
position   of  policeman. 

5 — Examinations  should  be  held  at  least  once  a  year,  if  vacancies  exist, 
and  no  eligible  list  should  remain  in  force  for  more  than  one  year. 

6 — Each  applicant,  having  passed  his  physical  examination,  should  be 
required  to  take  an  educational  test.  This  should  be  a  test  in  reading, 
writing  and  simple  arithmetic.  It  should  be  a  test  of  the  applicant's 
knowledge  of  the  city,  location  of  streets,  street  car  lines,  public 
institutions,  fire  houses,  laws  and  ordinances,  civics,  the  ability  of 
the  applicant  to  write  reports  and  an  intelligent  understanding  of 
a  policeman's  duties. 

7 — The  .applicant  should  be  required  to  file  a  recent  photograph  of  him- 
self, the  size  to  be  fixed  by  the  civil  service  commission,  and  this 
photograph  should  be  attached  to  his  original  application. 

8 — Examination  papers  should  not  have  the  name  of  the  candidate  upon 
them,  but  should  be  known  by  his  number. 

9 — As  a  result  of  the  ratings  received  by  the  candidates  in  the  physical 
and  mental,  examination  an  eligible  list  should  be  prepared,  the 
names  to  appear  thereon  in  the  numerical  order  of  the  percentages 
received  by  the  candidates, 
io — The  Mayor  and  Council  should  make  appointments  from  this  list  in 
the  order  in  which  they  appear  thereon,  and  no  man's  name  should 
be  skipped  except  when  he  shall  have  declined  the  appointment  or 
does  not  accept  within  three  days  after  notification,  or  when  by 
resolution  of  Council  appointment  shall  be  denied,'  in  which  case 
the  ordinance  shall  state  fully  the  reason  for  such  action. 
ii — Before  appointment  is  made,  the  Chief  of  Police  should  be  required 
to  investigate  carefully  the  character  of  the  applicant  and  to  report 
the  results  of  his  investigation  in  writing,  to  the  Council. 

PROBATIONARY  PERIOD   SHOULD   BE  ESTABLISHED. 

At  present  there  is  no  probationary  period.  A  policeman,  when  appointed, 
is  assigned  to  duty  immediately  and  no  one  is  required  to  report  upon  his 
fitness  or  his  efficiency.  It  is  recommended  that  the  Council  in  the  ordinance 
providing  for  the  appointment  of  policemen,  require  that  each  new  appointee 
shall  serve  a  probationary  period  of  six  months.     During  this  time  the  Chief 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT 147 

of  Police  shall  observe  or  cause  to  be  observed  the  conduct  of  the  proba- 
tionary policeman  and  shall  report  in  writing  to  Council  at  the  end  of  the 
probationary  period  his  opinion,,  together  with  his  reasons  therefor,  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  policeman  should  be  continued  in  the  service.  In  the 
event  the  chief  should  report  that  the  policeman  is  unfit  for  police  duty, 
or  that  he  has  been  inefficient,  or  derelict,  the  Council  shall  drop  him  from 
the  rolls. 

POLICEMEN    RECEIVE   NO   TRAINING. 

Policemen  receive  no  training  whatever  for  their  work.  The  moment 
a  policeman  has  been  appointed  he  is  assigned  to  duty  and  little  or  no  instruc- 
tion is  given  him.  He  is  required  to  learn  the  duties  of  his  office  as  well  as 
he  can.  Because  of  the  insecurity  of  tenure,  and  the  consequent  frequent 
changing  of  the  personnel  of  the  force,  no  inducement  is  offered  the  patrol- 
man of  Reading  to  become  adapted  to  the  police  work,  to  especially  train 
himself,  by  careful  study  of  the  ordinances  and  by  carefully  observing  effi- 
cient methods  and  practices  in  use  in  other  cities.  He  is  not  even  placed 
under  the  charge  of  an  older  patrolman  or  required  to  perform  duties  with 
him  for  a  definite  number  of  days  so  as  to  become  familiar  with  the  simplest 
routine. 

Nothing  is  more  productive  of  police  inefficiency  than  lack  of  training. 
Certainly  the  policeman  who  has  not  been  given  an  opportunity  to  acquire 
even  a  superficial  knowledge  of  the  duties  required  of  him  cannot  be  held 
strictly  to  account  for  his  shortcomings. 

TRAINING  OF  POLICEMEN  ESSENTIAL. 

It  is  unreasonable  to  expect  a  policeman  to  enforce  the  laws  and  ordi- 
nances unless  he  has  at  least  some  idea  of  what  those  laws  and  ordinances 
are.  The  policeman  who  has  received  no  training  in  court  procedure  and 
no  instruction  as  to  how  to  conduct  himself  in  court  can  hardly  be  expected 
to  present  evidence  properly  to  a  court  of  law,  and  in  a  manner  which  will 
be  intelligent  and  convincing  to  a  jury.  Another  instance  of  the  present  lack 
of  training  is  that  policemen  are  given  revolvers  to  use  without  a  single 
lesson  in  target  practice. 

URGENT  NEED  FOR  POLICE  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  training  school  for  police  service  be  established 
at  once.  Because  of  the  small  force  in  this  city,  such  a  school  could  be  estab- 
lished and  maintained  without  any  large  expense.  This  school  should  be  not 
only  for  the  instruction  and  training  of  new  members  of  the  force,,  but  the 
present  members  of  the  force  should  be  required  to  attend  as  well.  Special 
courses  should  be  provided  for  the  preparation  of  patrolmen  for  promotion 
examinations. 

EQUIPMENT  AND  COURSE  OF  STUDY. 

This  school  should  be  equipped  with  seats  and  desks  or  lecture  chairs 
so  arranged  that  the  windows  would  be  to  the  left  of  the  students  when  seated. 


i48  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

Council  should  communicate  with  the  school  authorities  with  a  view  to 
securing  adequate  space  for  such  a  school  in  one  of  the  school  buildings  of 
the  city.  This  should  be  used  by  the  Police  Department  at  hours  when  the 
childrens'  classes  are  not  in  session.  This  school  should  be  under  charge  of 
an  experienced  police  officer,  and  records  should  be  kept  of  punctuality, 
general  appearance,  attention,  discipline,  as  well  as  each  individual's  rating 
in  each  study  included  in  the  course. 

The  course  of  study  should  include  field  work,  first  aid  to  the  injured. 
English  report  writing,  ethics  in  conduct,  practical  civics,  sharpening  powers 
of  observation,,  the  powers  and  duties  of  a  policeman,  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions of  the  department,  the  penal  laws  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  as  well 
as  the  code  of  criminal  procedure,  the  ordinances  of  the  City  of  Reading, 
pistol  practice  and  the  humane  handling  of  prisoners. 

SCHOOL  SHOULD  BE  USED  TO  DETERMINE  FITNESS  FOR 
POLICE  DUTY. 

The  school  should  be  used  to  determine  the  student's  fitness  for  police 
duty  as  well  as  for  instructing  him  in  his  duty.  Students  should  be  required 
to  attend  the  full  time  for  a  period  of  from  thirty  to  ninety  days.  A  carefully 
planned  scheme  of  instruction  should  be  established,  and  a  competent  in- 
structor employed. 

PROBATIONARY  PATROLMEN  SHOULD  BE  GIVEN  FIELD 
WORK. 

The  field  work  should  consist  of  sending  the  recruits  for  duty  to  different 
sections  of  the  city  and  subjecting  them  to  as  large  a  variety  of  police  ex- 
perience as  possible  during  their  probationary  period.  The  recruits  should 
accompany  an  experienced  policeman.  He  should  be  required  to  report  fully 
upon  his  experiences  and  observations  in  the  field.  The  older  patrolman 
selected  to  instruct  the  probationary  policeman  in  the  field  should  be  a  man 
of  excellent  record  and  should  be  specially  qualified  for  this  work. 

At  the  end  of  the  periods  of  instruction  the  head  of  the  school  should 
hold  written  and  practical  tests  and  the  ratings  received  by  the  students  in 
these  tests  should  be  certified  to  the  Council.  The  report  upon  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  student  should  contain  a  recommendation  from  the  chief  of 
the  department  as  to  whether  or/  not  he  should  be  appointed. 

PROVISION   SHOULD   BE   MADE   FOR   THE  APPOINTMENT 
OF  SUB-PATROLMEN. 

Provision  should  be  made  by  ordinance  for  the  appointment  of  sub- 
patrolmen.  The  first  ten  names  on  the  eligible  list  awaiting  appointment 
should  be  designated  as  sub-patrolmen  and  assigned  to  the  school  of  recruits 
for  instruction.  At  the  end  of  their  period  of  instruction  they  should  be 
eligible  to  perform  temporary  services  as  substitutes  for  policemen  off  duty, 
on  leave  of  absence  or  on  vacation.  By  this  means  it  would  be  possible  always 
to  have  on  duty  the  full  quota  of  policemen. 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  149 


UNIFORMS  AND  EQUIPMENT 

GENERAL  NEATNESS  OF  FORCE  COMMENDED. 

The  uniform  now  in  use  is  both  neat  and  serviceable.  The  policemen 
observed  appeared  tidy  and  well  clad.  The  patrol  force  was  observed  at 
various  times  while  engaged  in  the  performance  of  duty,  and  on  being 
■"turned  out"  at  roll  calls,  and  in  no  instance  was  any  member  of  the  force 
noticed  appearing  untidy  or  slovenly. 

EQUIPMENT  SHOULD  INCLUDE  BELT. 

The  present  equipment  does  not  include  a  belt,  and  thus  the  policeman 
is  required  to  carry  his  mace  in  his  hand.  Many  policemen  were  observed 
who  carried  their  maces  suspended  from  their  shield,  while  others  were 
noticed  carrying  the  mace  in  their  coat  pocket;  such  a  practice  should  be 
discontinued. 

The  preesnt  form  of  mace  does  not  comply  with  the  standard  mace  in  use 
in  most  of  the  large  cities.  It  is  recommended  that  the  rules  provide  that 
the  policeman's  equipment  shall  include  a  belt  to  be  worn,  except  in  the  sum- 
mer months,,  and  that  the  commonly  known  "night  stick"  be  substituted  for 
the  present  mace. 

The  rules  should  provide  that  the  "night  stick"  should  be  carried  on  the 
night  tour,  while  the  policemen  on  day  tour  should  be  equipped  with  a  dress 
baton,  having  a, silk  cord  and  tassel  suspended  from  the  handle  of  the  baton. 
This  baton  should  be  nothing  more  than  an  ornament  and  should  be  made 
of  imitation  rosewood.     The  tassel  should  be  of  blue  silk. 

The  policemen  on  day  tour  should  be  required  to  carry  in  their  hip 
pocket  a  policemen's  billet.  The  wearing  of  a  belt,,  aside  from  being  service- 
able in  providing  a  place  for  the  policeman  to  carry  his  club,  will  add  much 
to  the  appearance  of  the  present  uniform. 

POLICEMEN  NOT  REQUIRED  TO  WEAR  GLOVES. 

The  regulations  do  not  require  that  patrolmen  wear  gloves.  The  result 
is  that  each  policeman  selects  a  glove  according  to  his  own  choice  and  thus 
many  different  kinds  of  gloves  were  observed.  The  regulations  should 
provide  for  a  uniform  glove  and  it  is  recommended  that  a  grey  lined 
buckskin  glove  be  adopted  for  the  use  in  winter  and  a  white  cotton  glove  be 
part  of  the  summer  uniform. 

RULES  DO  NOT  REQUIRE  POLICEMEN  TO  CARRY  REVOLVERS. 

There  is  no  rule  or  regulation  of  the  department  which  requires  police- 
men to  carry  revolvers  while  on  duty.  An  inspection  of  the  night  men  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  of  50  men  turning  out  for  duty,  15  were  not  equipped  with 
revolvers.  The  revolvers  carried  by  those  who  were  equipped  represented 
a  great  variety  of  sizes,  shapes  and  makes. 

Some  of  the  policemen  who  were  not  equipped  with  revolvers  gave  as 
the  reason  that  a  court  in  this  county  had  recently  convicted  a  policeman 
for  a  malicious  use  of  his  revolver.     They,  however,  did  not  regard  the  use 


150 POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

to  which  the  policeman  had  put  his  revolver  as  malicious,  and  refused  to 
carry  their  revolvers  for  fear  of  criminal  prosecution,  should  they  be  re- 
quired to  use  same. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  rules  of  the  department  require  all  police- 
men, while  on  duty,  to  carry  revolvers.  The  revolvers  should  be  a  part 
of  the  equipment  supplied  by  the  city  and  should  always  remain  the  property 
of  the  city.  The  chief  should  select  a  standard  make  and  no  other  revolver 
should  be  permitted  to  be  carried.  On  the  handle  of  each  gun  should  be  en- 
graved the  shield  number  of  the  policeman. 

REVOLVER  SHOULD  BE  CARRIED  IN  BLOUSE. 

The  present  practice  of  carrying  the  pistol  in  the  right  hip  pocket  should 
be  abandoned,  and  the  regulations  should  require  that  the  revolver  be  carried 
in  a  holster  in  the  blouse  or  coat,  on  the  left  side,  so  as  to  be  available  in 
emergencies. 

NO  UNIFORM  RUBBER  COAT. 

All  members  of  the  force  should  be  required  to  have  a  uniform  rubber 
coat  and  hood.  It  was  noticed  that  some  of  the  policemen  wore  different 
colored  mackintoshes.  For  convenience,  the  patrolmen  can  in  many  cases 
leave  their  rubber  coats  in  some  place  on  their  respective  posts.  The  im- 
portance of  the  rule  requiring  a  uniform  rubber  coat,  at  least  with  reference 
to  night  duty,  can  be  better  understood  when  it  is  realized  that  patrolmen 
not  equipped  with  a  rubber  outfit  on  a  very  rainy  night  will  not  patrol  effi- 
ciently, but  will  stand  in  doorways  or  any  place  to  keep  from  getting  wet. 

PATROLMEN'S  EQUIPMENT  NOT  PROPERLY  INSPECTED  AT 
ROLL  CALL. 

The  equipment  of  patrolmen  is  not  adequately  inspected  at  outgoing 
roll  calls.  The  usual  method  of  inspection  is  for  the  sergeant  to  call  for 
"keys,,"  by  which  is  meant  fire  alarm  and  patrol  box  keys.  At  this  command 
the  patrolmen  raise  their  keys  and  police  whistle,  but  the  sergeant  does  not 
make  any  inspection.  It  would  be  quite  possible  for  patrolmen  to  be  without 
their  fire  alarm  and  patrol  box  keys,  and  yet  not  be  detected  by  the  sergeant. 

It  has  been  the  practice  to  assemble  the  night  policemen  for  duty  and  roll 
call  in  the  council  chamber,  but  since  this  chamber  is  to  be  re-arranged  into 
private  offices  it  will  be  no  longer  possible  to  use  it  for  assembly.  It  is 
recommended  that  the  policemen  be  assembled  in  the  room  now  used  as  a 
court  room,  and  suggested  for  use  as  a  police  station. 

While  this  room  would  not  permit  of  assembling  the  entire  54  patrolmen 
at  one  time,  it  would,  however,  be  possible,  and  indeed  practical,  to  divide 
the  night  force  into  two  sections,  at  least  for  the  present,  until  a  platoon 
system  is  worked  out.     Thus  there  would  be  two  separate  roll  calls. 

The  following  procedure  for  roll  calls  should  be  adopted: 

1 — At  the  time  set  for  roll  call,  the  sergeant  or  chief  should  give  the 
command  "fall  in."  At  this  order  the  policemen  should  take  their 
places  in  line  in  military  fashion.  1 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 151 

2 — The  second   command  should  be   "attention,"   at  which  command  the 

force  should  stand  at  attention  in  perfect  alignment. 
3 — The  third  command  should  be  "salute,"  at  which  command  the  patrol- 
men should  present  arms  with  their  batons,  and  hold  them  in  this 
position  until  the  sergeant  gives  the  command  "return  baton." 
4 — The  commanding  officer  should  then  call  the  roll. 
5 — The   next   command    should  be    "open   ranks,"   when   the    second   and 

each  succeeding  line  should  take  six  steps  to  the  rear. 
6 — This  should  be  followed  by  the  command   "inspection,"  which  should 
require  each  patrolman  to  present  his  revolver,  fire  alarm  and  patrol 
box  keys,  whistle  and  nippers.     The  commanding  officer  should  then 
pass   through   the   lines   and   inspect   same.     Returning  to   the   desk, 
the  commanding  officer  should  give  the  command  "attention."     The 
patrolmen  should  then  return  their  revolvers  and  other  equipment. 
7 — The  next   command   should  be   "close   ranks."     The   second   and   each 
succeeding  line  should  then  take  six  steps  forward.     The  command- 
ing officer  should  then  give  the  command   "parade  rest"  or  "stand 
at    ease."      Then    special    instructions    and    the    orders    of    the    day 
should   be   distributed   to   the   men,   on    mimegraphed   sheets   as   has 
been  previously  recommended  in  this  report. 
After  the  patrol  force  has  been  properly  inspected  and  are  ready  to  be 
sent  to  their  posts,  the  command  should  be  as  follows: 
1 — Attention 
2 — Right  Face 
3 — Forward 
4 — March 
The  policemen  should  march  in  columns  of  two  to  the  corner  where  they 
should  disband  and  go  speedily  to  their  respective  beats. 

During  the  roll  calls  the  "desk  officer  should  insist  upon  the  enforcement 
of  strict  military  discipline.  The  men  should  be  required  to  give  strict 
attention  to  the  orders  of  the  day.  The  procedure  at  return  roll  calls  at  the 
end  of  each  tour  should  be  exactly  the  same  as  the  procedure  for  the  out- 
going roll  calls,  except  that  the  inspection  of  equipment  should  be  dispensed 
with. 


PROMOTIONS 

ENTHUSIASM  AND  AMBITION  SPELL  EFFICIENCY. 

Police  efficiency  depends  almost  entirely  upon  the  enthusiasm  and  ambi- 
tion of  the  members  of  the  force.  Members  of  a  police  force  who  are  afforded 
no  opportunity  for  promotion,  increase  in  salary,  pension,  nor  hope  of  reward 
other  than  the  monthly  salary  check,  cannot  be  expected  to  be  ambitious  and 
enthusiastic  in  the  performance  of  their  duty. 

The  contented  force  is  an  efficient  force,  but  no  force  is  contented  where 
the  members  know  that  their  superior  officers  are  selected  not  because  of 
their  experince  as  police  officers,  nor  because  of  any  special  merit  or  ability 
as  commanding  officer,  but  purely  for  political  reasons.  If  a  police  force 
is  to  be  efficient,  it  must  be  free  of  politics.    If  the  policemen  are  to  be  stim- 


t^2  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


ulated  in  their  desire  to  perform  faithful  service,  faithful  service  must  carry 
-with  it  promotion  for  merit,  and  merit  alone.  The  politician  who  succeeds 
in  securing  preferment  for  a  policeman,  insists  upon  preferment  at  the  hands 
of  the  policemen  so  favored.  Therefore,  when  the  opportunity  arises  for  the 
policeman  to  help  the  politician  who  helped  him  secure  his  promotion  or  ap- 
pointment, efficiency  and  fair  play,  and  sometimes  even  justice,  must  suffer. 
Reading  is  without  any  promotion  system  in  the  police  force.  The  patrolman 
in  this  city  not  only  cannot  hope  for  promotion  based  on  merit,,  but  because 
of  the  present  system  of  changing  the  police  force  with  each  incoming 
administration,  he  cannot  even  hope  for  continued  service.  The  department 
lias  no  plan  of  promotion  and  its  officers  are  selected  on  the  basis  of  political 
patronage,  without  regard  to  their  previous  experience  or  training. 

Of  the  six  sergeants  now  in  the  service,  three  never  performed  any 
police  duty  prior  to  their  appointment  as  police  sergeant.  Nothing  could 
be  more  destructive  of  discipline  and  productive  of  inefficiency,  than  appoint- 
ment of  superior  officers  who  have  not  come  from  the  ranks. 

CIVIL  SERVICE  TESTS  FOR  PROMOTION  RECOMMENDED. 

It  is,  therefore,  recommended  that  promotion  to  the  ranks  of  sergeant  and 
chief  be  made  as  the  result  of  a  competitive  civil  service  examination  open 
only  to  members  of  the  force,  or  to  former  policemen  who  have  had  not 
less  than  five  years'  actual  police  service  in  this  or  some  other  city. 

NO  REAL  EFFICIENCY  RECORDS. 

In  rating  members  of  the  force  in  promotion  examination,  specific  weights 
should  be  given  to  seniority,  efficiency,  based  upon  efficiency  records,  physical 
condition  and  mental  ability. 

For  purposes  of  giving  a  rating  upon  efficiency,  it  is  recommended  that 
efficiency  records  be  established  at  once.  The  present  so-called  efficiency 
record  which  is  maintained,  is  in  no  sense  a  record  of  efficiency  of  service, 
but  merely  a  record  of  absences. 

Sergeants  should  be  provided  with  special  printed  forms  upon  which  to 
report  daily  the  efficiency  of  the  members  of  their  command.  These  records 
should  be  maintained  by  the  sergeants  and  filed  each  month  with  the  chief. 

In  giving  an  efficiency  rating  to  the  members  of  their  command,  sergeants 
should  consider  carefully  the  following: 
i — General  neatness  and  appearance. 
2 — Intelligence  in  making  of  reports. 

3 — Intelligence  and  success  in  presenting  cases  in  court. 
4 — General  carriage  of  men  while  on  patrol — whether  they  are  alert  and 

active  or  careless  and  slovenly. 
5 — Condition   of  the   policeman's   memorandum  book  and  intelligence   of 

notations  made  therein. 
6 — Proficiency  of  patrolman  in  observing  and  reporting  matters  of  import- 
ance to  other  city  departments,  such  as  broken  pavements,  encum- 
bered fire  escapes,  encumbrances  on  sidewalks,  street  lamp  outages,, 
etc. 
7 — Punctuality. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT  153 


8 — Discipline. 

9 — Reporting  of  suspected  ^gambling  and  disorderly  houses  and  other 
suspicious  places  on  patrolman's  post. 

10 — Willingness  to  perform  extra  duty. 

These  monthly  efficiency  reports,  after  having  been  reviewed  by  the  chief, 
should  be  filed  with  the  Mayor  and  Council. 

The  chief  should  keep  a  set  of  similar  efficiency  records  for  the  sergeants, 
the  same  to  form  the  basis  of  furnishing  efficiency  ratings  in  examinations 
for  promotion  to  the  rank  of  chief. 

No  policeman  should  be  eligible  to  take  the  promotion  examination  for 
sergeant  who  has  not  been  in  the  service  for  at  least  three  years,  and  no 
sergeant  should  be  eligible  for  promotion  to  the  rank  of  chief  who  has  not 
performed  service  as  sergeant  at  least  two  years. 

MENTAL  TESTS. 

The  mental  examination  should  consist  of  a  written  test  and  a  drill. 
The  written  test  should  consist  of  an  examination  in  the  general  duties  of 
a  sergeant  or  chief,  the  laws  and  ordinances,  report  writing,  a  composition  on 
efficient  patrol  and  a  general  knowledge  of  police  methods  in  other  large 
cities.  The  drill  examination  should  consist  of  a  military  drill  covering 
the  ordinary  manual  as  to  formations  and  commands. 

PROMOTIONS  SHOULD  BE  MADE  FROM  ELIGIBLE  LIST. 

Promotion  should  only  be  made  from  the  eligible  list,,  and  the  procedure 
should  be  as  follows: 

When  a  vacancy  exists,  the  civil  service  commission  should  be  requested 
to  certify  the  first  three  names  on  the  list  and  Council  should  be  required 
to  appoint  one  out  of  the  first  three;  but  Council  should  be  careful,  in  order 
to  encourage  fair  play  in  promotions,  to  avoid  political  interference,  and 
not  skip  any  name  on  the  list  except  for  a  good  and  sufficient  reason,  which 
should  be  stipulated  and  made  a  part  of  the  records  in  any  case  where  a 
name  is  passed. 


TRIALS  OF  DELINQUENT  POLICEMEN 

PLAN  OF  PROCEDURE  RECOMMENDED. 

As  already  suggested,  no  policeman  should  be  removed  from  the  force 
except  for  cause,  and  to  avoid  an  abuse  of  power  and  the  use  of  political 
interference,  it  is  recommended  that  the  Council,  by  resolution,  adopt  a 
regular  plan  of  procedure  governing  the  trial  of  delinquent  policemen  upon 
charges : 

The  resolution  should  require  that,  in  each  case: 

i— Every  sergeant  shall  report  to  the  chief  each  delinquency  or  derelict, 
or  violation  of  rules  and  regulations,  or  conduct  or  disorder  or  neg- 
lect  to  the  prejudice  of  good  order,  efficiency  or  discipline,  which 
comes  to  his  notice. 


154 POLICE   DEPARTMENT      

2 — Charges  shall  be  prepared  under  the  supervision  of  the  chief  of  the 
department,  upon  specially  printed  forms. 

3 — The  chief  shall  be  required  to  conduct  a  preliminary  investigation  and 
to  certify  in  writing  upon  the  charges,  his  opinion  as  to  whether  the 
accused  policeman  should  stand  trial  or  whether  the  charges  should 
be  dismissed. 

4 — The  charges  so  endorsed* shall  be  forwarded  to  the  Mayor,  and  in  the 
event  that  the  chief  has  recommended  that  the  accused  policeman 
stand  trial,  the  Mayor  shall  endorse  the  charges  to  that  effect. 

5 — Each  member  of  the  department  to  be  tried  upon  charges  shall  be 
served  with  a  copy  of  the  charges  and  specifications  at  least  forty- 
eight  hours  before  trial,  exclusive  of  Sundays  and  holidays. 

6 — Service  of  charges  is  effected  by: 

a — Personal  delivery  of  charges  and  specifications  to  the  accused, 
b — Or,  if  personal  delivery  cannot  be  made,  then  by  leaving  them 
at  his  place  of  residence  with  some  person  of  an  age  of 
discretion,  and  notifying  such  person  of  the  nature  of  the  papers, 
c — Or,  if  personal  delivery  cannot  be  made  and  residence  cannot  be 
located,  then  by  posting  them  conspicuously  in  the  office  of  the 
sergeant  at  the  city  hall. 

7 — Each  member  of  the  department  served  with  charges  shall  promptly 
acknowledge  service  by  his  signature  on  the  copy  to  be  returned. 

8 — The  person  serving  charges  shall  certify  service  and  the  time  and  date 
of  service  above  his  signature  on  copy  to  be  returned. 

g— A  trial  shall  be  conducted  before  the  Mayor,,  or  Council  with  the  Mayor 
presiding,  without  unnecessary  technicality,  without  unnecessary  or 
unreasonable  delay  and  without  offensive  speech  or  action  on  the 
part  of  any  one.  The  Mayor  or  any  member  of  Council  may,  without 
prejudice  to  the  accused,  forthwith  exclude  'from  further  attendance 
at  such  hearing  a  person  who  offends  against  any  of  these  provisions. 

The  following  is  suggested  as  a  plan  of  trial  procedure: 

i — The  accused  should  be  arraigned. 

2 — The  accused  should  be  given  the  right  to  introduce  or  be  represented 
by  counsel,  to  move  for  dismissal  of  charges  upon  pertinent  grounds, 
or  similarly  for  an  adjournment. 

3 — The  accused  should  plead  to  the  charges  in  the  following  manner: 
To  the  first  specification  first  charge  "Guilty"  or  "Not  Guilty;"  to 
the  second  specification  first  charge,  etc.,  to  the  number  of  specifi- 
cations in  the  first  charge;  then  "Guilty"  or  "Not  Guilty"  to  the  first 
charge,  and  similarly  for  each  charge  in  order. 

4 — The  witnesses  for  the  department  should  next  be  introduced  in  the 
order  directed  by  the  Mayor.  Before  testifying  a  witness  should  be 
sworn.  The  Mayor  should  conduct  the  direct  examination;  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  direct  examination  the  witness  should  be  at  the 
disposition  of  the  accused  for  cross-examination;  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  cross-examination,,  the  witness  should  be  subject  to  re-direct 
examination  to  be  followed  by  a  recross-examination,  etc.  After 
the  witnesses  for  the  department  have  testified,  the  accused  should 
then  be  instructed  to  produce  his  witnesses. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT  ' 155 

5 — Each  witness  for  the  accused  as  introduced  should  be  sworn  and  his 
identity  established  by  the  Mayor,  after  which  the  witness  should 
be  at  the  disposition  of  the  accused;  following  the  direct-examination 
by  the  accused,  a  witness  should  be  subject  to  cross-examination  by 
the  department,  'pie  subsequent  examination  should  proceed  as  with 
the  witnesses  for  the  department. 

6 — The  accused  should  have  ample  opportunity  to  subpoena  witnesses  in 
his  defence  and  to  introduce  any  and  all  testimony  as  may  be  availa- 
ble and  necessary. 

7 — The  accused  policeman  should  then  be  given  an  opportunity  to  testify 
under  oath  in  his  own  behalf,  or  if  he  does  not  desire  to  testify  under 
oath  he  should  be  permitted  to  make  any  statement  in  his  own  behalf 
not  under  oath.  Following  such  statement  or  testimony  he  should 
be  subject  to  cross-examination  by  the  Mayor. 

8 — The  accused  should  then  be  given  a  brief  opportunity  to  sum  up  or 
to  make  pertinent  motions. 

FORMS  OF  PUNISHMENT. 

Council  should  provide  by  ordinance  that  the  punishments  which  may  be 
inflicted  be:  Dismissal  or  forfeiture  of  pay,  or  reprimand  or  extra  duty,  or 
forfeiture  of  "days  off  on  vacation."  The  ordinance  should  also  provide 
for  punishment  for  minor  infractions  of  the  rules  by  a  demerit  system.  In 
cases  where  fines  are  imposed,  provision  should  be  made  so  that  not  more 
than  one-third  of  any  policeman's  salary  would  be  deducted  in  any  one  month. 
A  finding  of  guilty  for  intoxication  while  on  duty  should  result  in  the  dis- 
missal of  a  policeman. 

TRIALS  SHOULD  BE  PUBLIC. 

All  trials  of  delinquent  policemen  should  be  conducted  in  public,  and  so 
far  as  possible  the  rules  of  evidence  should  prevail. 


DETECTIVES 

NO  DETECTIVES  AT  PRESENT. 

Although  two  members  of  the  patrol  force  are  assigned  to  "plain  clothes" 
duty,  which  is  in  fact  detective  duty,  there  are  no  regularly  designated  detec- 
tives. While  one  of  the  two  men  performing  detective  duty  was  formerly 
attached  to  the  State  Constabulary,  the  second  detective  had  had  no  police 
experience  nor  detective  training  whatever  prior  to  his  appointment  two 
years  ago. 

Neither  of  these  two  men  has  any  knowledge  whatever  of  methods  of 
criminal  identification,  nor  have  they  had  any  training  in  the  preparation  of 
cases  for  court  or  in  any  criminal  investigations.  In  addition  to  detective 
services  they  are  required  to  secure  evidence  against  disorderly  and  gambling 
houses,  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  the  excise  law,  and  to  perform  numerous 
duties  which  are  not  and  should  not  be  a  part  of  the  duty  of  a  detective. 


156  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


Much  of  their  time  which  should  be  given  to  the  investigation  of  crime 
and  the  apprehension  of  thieves,  burglars  and  other  criminals,  is  given  to^ 
the  merest  routine  police  work.  An  examination  of  the  complaint  records 
shows  that  there  is  a  sufficient  number  of  robberies  and  larcenies  committed 
in  this  city  to  require  the  entire  time  of  two  md|i  to  conduct  ^he  necessary 
investigations  and  hunt  the  criminals  operating  in  the  city.  No  detective  atten- 
tion whatever  is  given  the  railroad  depots  and  thus  it  is  possible  for  thieves 
to  enter  the  city  and  depart  without  the  slightest  interference  by  the  police. 
These  two  "plain  clothes"  men  receive  the  same  salary  as  the  other  members 
of  the  force.  While  they  report  each  day,  in  writing,  upon  the  arrests  which 
they  make,  they  do  not  make  any  reports  covering  their  entire  day's  services,, 
nor  do  they  make  any  reports  in  the  form  of  progress  reports  in  connection 
with  the  cases  upon  which  they  are  working.  While  they  operate  under  the 
direction  of  the  Chief  of  Police  and  the  Mayor,  they  are  more  or  less  ''free 
lances."     Their  operations  receive  no  specific  directions. 

SPECIALLY  TRAINED  DETECTIVES  NEEDED. 

The  need  for  scientific  training  of  detectives  is  now  recognized  the  world 
over.  As  criminals  specialize  in  their  work  and  become  more  scientific  in 
their  methods  of  operation,  it  becomes  more  imperative.  The  progress  in 
detective  efficiency  in  the  larger  cities  of  the  United  States  makes  it  .more 
essential  that  the  smaller  cities  be  well  equipped  with  efficient  detectives,, 
since  the  criminals  when  routed  out  of  the  large  cities,  take  refuge  in  the 
smaller  cities. 

Reading  needs  at  least  four  detectives,  not  detectives  merely  because 
they  perform  duty  in  plain  clothes,  but  detectives  trained  in  criminal  investiga- 
tion and  identification.  Both  New  York  and  Philadelphia  now  maintain, 
excellent  detective  schools  and  have  made  considerable  progress  in  the  in- 
struction of  their  members  in  criminal  identification  and  criminal  investiga- 
tion and  research.  It  is,  therefore,  recommended  that  the  Council  select  and 
appoint  four  detectives,  with  an  increased  salary  more  than  that  received 
by  the  regular  patrol  force,  to  be  not  less  than  $1,200  per  year.  Following 
their  selection,,  the  Council  should  provide  sufficient  funds  for  them  to  visit 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  and  attend  the  courses  now  being  conducted  in 
those  cities  for  detectives.  The  New  York  police  department  provides  for 
the  instruction  of  detectives  from  other  cities  without  any  fee. 

DETECTIVES  SHOULD  VISIT  PRISONS. 

When  selected,  the  Chief  of  Police  should  require  that  at  stated  intervals 
the  detectives  visit  the  State  prisons  and  penitentiaries  from  time  to  time  to 
observe  criminal  faces  and  to  study  criminal  characters. 

One  of  the  four  should  be  designated  chief  detective  and  should  be  in 
charge  of  the  operations  of  the  other  three  in  addition  to  his  regular  work. 

During  the  probating  period,  these  detectives  should  be  required  to 
attend  the  school  of  recruits  suggested  elsewhere  in  this  report,  in  order 
to  become  familiar  with  ordinary  police  routine  and  proceedings,  report 
writing  and  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  State  and  city.  The  members  of 
the   detective  bureau   should  be   required   to   confine   their   operations   to   in- 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  157 


vestigations  of  crime  and  the  apprehension  of  criminals,  and  should  have  no 
duties  with  relation  to  the  enforcing  of  the  laws  against  gambling,  the  social 
evil  and  excise.  These  laws  should  be  enforced  by  the  regular  patrol  force 
and  when  patrol  work  is  necessary,  patrolmen  should  be  detailed  by  the  chief 
to  operate  in  plain  clothes  for  specified  periods.  They  should  be  changed 
from  time  to  time,  and  not  permitted  to  remain  in  plain  clothes  for  any 
•extended  period. 

The  shield  of  the  detective  should  be  different  from  that  of  the  patrol 
officer.     It  should  be  large  and  gold-plated. 

DETECTIVE  RECORDS. 

A  separate  set  of  records  should  be  maintained  by  the  detectives.  The 
following  system  of  records  in  connection  with  detective  work  is  recom- 
mended: 

1.  A  detective  complaint  book:  In  this  should  be  kept  the  record  of  every 

complaint  made  which  required  detective  attention.  The  headings 
in  this  book  should  call  for  complete  information  concerning  the 
complaint. 

2.  A  record  of  arrests:  This  book  should  correspond  to  the  regular  record 

of  arrests  recommended  for  use  in  connection  with  arrests  by  the 
uniformed  force,  and  every  arrest  made  by  the  detectives  should  be 
entered  therein. 

3.  Detectives'  assignment  book:  In  this  book  should  be  kept  a  record  of 

assignments  of  all  detective  cases.  It  should  contain  the  name  of 
the  detective  assigned,  the  time  assigned  and  the  time  when  assign- 
ment is  finished,  with  a  brief  statement  of  results. 

4.  Record    of    property    stolen    and    recovered:    This    book    should    have 

printed  headings  calling  for  information  concerning  each  robbery 
complaint.  It  should  show  an  itemized  list  of  the  alleged  stolen 
property,  with  the  proper  heading  calling  for  information  concern- 
ing the  property  recovered. 

In  this  book  and  under  the  heading  "property  recovered",  should 
be  written  not  only  a  list  of  property  actually  recovered,  but  a  state- 
ment as  to  how  it  was  recovered;  that  is,  whether  in  a  pawnshop, 
a  store  of  a  second-hand  dealer  or  in  the  custody  of  the  thief.  It 
should  also  state  the  value  of  each  piece  of  property  stolen  and  the 
value  of  the  part  recovered.  In  addition,,  it  should  show  name  of 
the  officer  in  the  case  and  whether  or  not  there  has  been  an  arrest 
in  connection  with  it. 

There  should  be  a  column  in  this  book,  with  the  heading  "receipt 
for  delivery  of  stolen  property."  Under  this  heading  each  owner  of 
property  recovered  should  be  required  to  sign  his  or  her  name 
upon  the  delivery  of  the  property.  Each  month  the  entries  in  this 
book  should  be  recapitulated  showing  the  number  of  larcenies  re- 
ported, the  approximate  total  value  of  the  property  stolen  and  the 
approximate  total  value  of  the  property  recovered  during  the  month. 
5-  Complaint  card  record  system:  The  chief  should  cause  to  be  printed 
forthwith,  a  set  of  detective  complaint  record  cards.  This  card 
should  have  printed  headings   calling  for  detailed   information   con- 


158  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


cerning  the  nature  of  the  complaint,  time  received,  descnption  of 
persons  suspected  of  having  committed  the  crime,  careful  descip- 
tion  of  stolen  property,  and  a  record  of  the  investigation,  with 
adequate  information  concerning  the  arrest  and  final  disposition 
of  the  case. 

The  procedure  should  be  as  follows: 
Upon  the  receipt  of  a  complaint  requiring  detective  attention,  a 
detective  should  be  assigned  at  once.  The  detective  should  fill  out 
the  complaint  card  at  the  time  he  interviews  the  complainant.  Each 
complaint  should  be  given  a  serial  number  to  correspond  with  the 
number  of  the  complaint  in  the  c  etective's  complaint  book,  a^d  all 
subsequent  reference  to  the  comoiaint  should  be  by  the  complaint 
number  originally  given. 

When  an  arrest  is  made,  the  information  concerning  it,  called 
for  under  the  heading  "arrests  and  disposition,"  should  be  filled 
in  by  the  detective.  Pending  the  arrest,  each  day  the  detective 
works  on  the  case  he  should  enter  upon  a  card  of  the  same  size 
but  of  a  different  color  and  called  the  "progress"  card,  in  detailed 
form  what  duties  he  performed  during  the  day  in  connection  with 
the  case.    This  card  should  be  filed  with  the  original  complaint  card. 

6.  "Case    closed"    card:    No    case    should    be    closed,    nor    investigation 

stopped,  without  an  order  from  the  chief  detective  or  the  chief  of 
police.  This  order  should  be  in  writing  and  upon  a  card  which 
should  provide  a  heading  calling  for  definite  reasons  for  the  closing 
of  the  case.  The  card  should  be  signed  by  the  officer,  acting  as  an 
order.  The  procedure  should  be  for  the  detective  working  on  the 
case  to  write  upon  this  card  his  recommendation  for  closing  the 
case  and  his  reasons  therefor,  and  present  it  to  the  officer  in 
charge,  for  his  approval.  This  card  should  be  filed  with  he  original 
complaint  and  progress  cards. 

7.  Detective's   daily  report:   Each   detective   should  be   required   to  file   a 

detailed  report  stating  the  time  he  reported  for  duty,  and  the  amount 
of  time  he  spent  on  each  specific  assignment.  This  card  record 
should  be  filed  with  the  chief  of  the  department  and  reviewed  by  the 
Mayor  each  day.  They  should  be  filed  under  the  name  of  the  detec- 
tives and  not  merely  chronologically. 

8.  File  consolidated  report:  The  chief  detective  should  furnish  the  chief 

of  the  department  with  a  detailed  consolidated  report  showing  the 
activities  of  all  four  detectives  for  each  twenty-four  hours.  This 
report  should  show,  by  comparison  with  the  same  day  of  the  preced- 
ing week  and  of  the  preceding  month  and  of  the  preceding  year,  the 
number  of  complaints,  classified  as  to  crimes;  record  of  dispositions 
and  all  other  information  concerning  the  crime  conditions  in  the 
city.  This  consolidated  daily  report  should  be  forwarded  to  the 
Mayor  for  his  inspection  and  review. 

9.  Telephone  records:  A  telephone  record  should  be  kept  of  all  messages, 

incoming    and    outgoing,    and    each    entry    when    made,    should    be 
signed  by  the  detective  making  the  entry. 
10.  Case    records:    A    vertical    correspondence    filing    cabinet    should    be 
provided,  with  large   folders.     Each   detective   case   reported   should 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 159 

receive  a  special  folder  indexed  under  the  name  of  the  complainant, 
and  when  an  arrest  is  made,  under  the  name  of  the  person  arrested  as 
well.  In  this  folder  should  be  kept  the  original  complaint  card,  the 
progress  card,  the  closing  card,  and  each  and  every  document,  letter, 
telegram  and  any  other  paper  in  connection  with  the  case.  Thus,  it 
will  be  possible  to  maintain  the  entire  case  record  under  one  folder. 
No  person  should  have  access  to  this  filing  cabinet  except  the  chief 
detective,  the  chief  of  police  and  the  Mayor  and  Council. 

BUREAU   OF   CRIMINAL   IDENTIFICATION   SHOULD    BE 
ESTABLISHED. 

Although  the  Department  is  equipped  with  the  Bertillon  measurement 
system  and  a  partial  finger  print  outfit,  no  one  connected  with  the  Department 
has  been  given  adequate  instructions  either  in  classifying  finger  prints  or 
in  taking  Bertillon  measurements  of  criminals.  The  Department  does  not 
own  a  camera,  and  pictures  for  its  rogues  gallery  are  taken  by  a  local 
photographer  at  a  charge  of  fifty  cents  per  picture.  The  filing  cabinet  in 
which  are  kept  the  Bertillon  records,  is  located  in  the  private  office  of  the 
Mayor.  By  .an  arrangement  with  the  jail,  the  Department  is  able  to  secure 
photographs  of  criminals  after  conviction,  but  these  photographs  are  not 
of  the  proper  kind  for  use  in  a  rogues  gallery,  because  the  pictures  of  the 
prisoners  are  taken  in  their  prison  garb. 

No  records  in  police  work  are  of  greater  importance  than  records  of 
criminals — finger  prints,  Bertillon  measurements  and  photographs.  So  im- 
portant are  these  records  in  ferreting  out  crimes  and  criminals  that  large 
cities  have  gone  to  the  expense  of  gathering  photographs  and  records  of 
criminals  from  all  parts  of  the  world  for  their  criminal  bureaus.  Realizing 
the  benefit  to  be  derived  from  the  co-operation  of  all  the  cities  in  the  country 
in  establishing  a  complete  "rogues  gallery,"  a  national  bureau  of  criminal 
identification  was  formed  in  the  capital  of  Washington,  as  a  clearing  house 
for  records,  photographs  and  general  information  concerning  criminals.  This 
organization  distributes  these  records  to  the  various  police  departments 
throughout  the  country,  and  in  order  to  cover  the  expenses  involved  in  the 
collection  of  these  pictures,  charges  a  nominal  membership  fee.  It  is  recom- 
mended that  Reading's  chief  of  police  be  authorized  to  secure  these  services 
for  Reading,  and  that  money  be  appropriated  to  pay  the  annual  fee.  It  is 
suggested  that  Council  authorize  the  chief  to  get  into  immediate  communica- 
tion with  the  national  bureau  of  criminal  identification  and  ascertain  the  rate 
they  would  charge   Reading  for  such  service. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  clerk  whose  appointment  is  recommended 
elsewhere  in  this  report,  be  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  criminal  identifica- 
tion records.  Council  should  provide  the  necessary  funds  to  send  him  to  New 
York  to  study  the  methods  of  criminal  identification  in  use  by  the  Police 
Department  of  that  city,  and  the  method  of  classifying  finger  prints.  He 
should  also  receive  instructions  in  photography,  learning  how  to  take  pictures 
and.  develop  the  plates  and  make  prints.  Council  should  privide  the  police 
with  a  camera..  While  the  fee  charged  by  the  local  photographer  for 
photographing  the  criminals  arrested  in  this  city  may  be  said  to  be  nominal,, 
it  is  not  desirable,  however,  that  the  criminals  should  be  taken  through  the 


i6o POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

streets  and  into  the  studio  of  a  local  photographer.  The  Reading  Police 
Department  has  no  greater  need  at  present  than  the  establishment  of  a 
properly  conducted  bureau  of  criminal  identification.  Outside  of  the  initial 
cost  of  the  purchase  of  a  camera  and  the  membership  fee  in  the  national 
bcreau  of  identification,  no  additional  money  would  be  needed  for  the 
establishment  of  such  a  bureau.  The  clerk  whose  appointment  is  recommended 
elsewhere,  could  have  the  combined  functions  of  property  clerk,  photographer 
and  record  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  chief  of  police. 

DEPARTMENT  HAS  NO  CONTROL  OVER  PAWNBROKERS 
AND  SECOND-HAND  DEALERS. 

There  is  no  ordinance  or  law  providing  for  police  control  over  pawn- 
brokers and  second-hand  dealers.  A  proper  control  over  both  these  industries 
is  essential  to  efficiency  in  the  management  of  the  detective  bureau.  At 
present  the  Department  forwards  a  list  of  reported  stolen  property  to  the 
pawnbrokers;  but  neither  the  pawnbrokers  nor  the  second-hand  dealers 
furnish  the  police  with  a  daily  list  of  property  pledged  with  them.* 

It  is  recommended  that  the  Council  adopt  an  ordinance  requiring  each 
pawnbroker  and  second-hand  dealer  in  the  city  to  furnish  the  chief  of  police, 
each  morning  before  ten  o'clock,  with  a  list  of  articles  pledged  with  them 
during  the  preceding  24  hours.  This  information  should  be  furnished  upon 
specially  printed  forms,  provided  by  the  Police  Department.  These  forms 
should  be  provided  with  sufficient  headings  to  call  for  full  information  con- 
cerning articles  pledged.  The  ordinance  should  provide  for  the  installation 
of  a  "buzzer"  in  the  telegraph  bureau  of  the  Police  Department,  with  a  button 
in  each  of  the  four  pawnbrokers'  establishments.  Whenever  any  person  at- 
tempts to  redeem  property  which  the  pawnbroker  has  already  been  notified  by 
the  Police  Department  was  stolen,  or  whenever  any  person  attempts  to  pledge 
an  article  which  the  pawnbroker  would  have  reason  to  suspect  was  stolen,  the 
latter  should  be  required  by  law  to  press  the  button,  notifying  the  police.  The 
button  should  be  concealed  under  the  counter  or  in  some  part  of  the  store 
handy  to  the  clerk.  The  chief  of  police  should  immediately  dispatch  an  officer 
to  investigate.  The  "buzzer"  system  has  already  been  proved  to  be  an  efficient 
means  of  apprehending  persons  pledging  stolen  articles.  Pittsburgh  has  been 
particularly  successful  in  making  arrests  due  to  this  system. 

It  should  be  the  duty  of  the  property  clerk,  upon  receiving  the  pawn 
lists,,  to  compare  the  articles  listed  thereon  with  the  daily  list  of  reported  stolen 
property  and  to  notify  the  pawnbrokers  or  seond-hand  dealers  if  any  stolen 
property  is  discovered  on  their  lists.  This  notice  should  be  in  writing.  The 
ordinance  should  authorize  the  Police  Department  to  serve  a  "stop"  notice, 
in  writing,  on  a  specially  provided  form,  upon  pawnbrokers.  A  "stop"  notice 
is  a  notification  to  a  pawnbroker  that  an  article  appearing  on  his  list  of 
pledged  articles  is  believed  to  be  stolen  property.  This  notice  contains  a 
direction  to  the  pawnbroker  to  notify  the  police  immediately  upon  a  demand 
being  made  for  the  article  and  it  likewise  restrains  the  pawnbroker  from 
allowing  the  stolen  property  to  be   redeemed  by  ticket.     Failure  to  comply 


*  An   ordinance   requiring  a   daily   report   from   all  pawnbrokers   became 
effective  in  January,  1914. 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT i6r 

with  the  order  contained  upon  such  "stop"  notice  should  be  cause  for  revoca- 
tion of  the  pawnbroker's  license. 


RECORDS  AND  REPORTS 

PRESENT  SYSTEM  OF  RECORDS  INADEQUATE. 

A  study  of  the  records  and  reports  maintained  at  the  office  of  the  chief 
shows  that  the  present  system  of  records  is  wholly  inadequate.  However, 
the  present  system  is  an  improvement  over  the  system  in  operation  prior 
to  the  present  administration.  The  records,  as  at  present  maintained,  represent 
at  least  an  effort  to  record  the  activities  of  the  members  of  the  force  and 
the   operations   of  the   Department. 

PAYROLLS  SHOULD  BE  PREPARED  BY  BUREAU  OF  ACCOUNTS. 

The  payroll  at  present  in  use,  and  made  up  semi-monthly  by  the  Police 
Department,  is  of  an  antiquated  type.  It  is  recommended  that  the  practice 
of  having  the  Police  Department  prepare  its  own  payroll  be  abandoned,  and 
that  the  Department  be  required  only  to  certify  to  the  bureau  of  accounts, 
upon  a  specially  printed  form,,  the  service  time  of  the  members  of  the  force. 

SERGEANT'S  DAILY  REPORT  SHOULD  BE  ABANDONED. 

The  sergeant's  daily  report  now  in  use  should  be  abandoned.  It  has 
resulted  in  preventing  the  proper  filing  of  complaints  and  other  information 
recorded  thereon.  It  has  likewise  prevented  the  automatic  compilation  of 
statistics. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  sergeant's  daily  report  be  abandoned  and  that 
the  rules  prescribe  that  each  patrolman  shall  be  required  to  make  a  separate 
written  report  upon  accidents,  fires,  light  outage,  nuisances,  conditions  of 
streets  and  sidewalks  and  all  such  matters  as  are  observed  by  him  while  on 
patrol.  These  reports  should  be  collected  by  the  sergeant  while  on  patrol,, 
or  turned  in  by  the  patrolmen  to  the  desk  sergeant  at  the  return  roll  call. 
The  desk  sergeant  should  be  required  to  copy  into  the  desk  blotter,  which 
will  be  referred  to  elsewhere,  the  reports  handed  in.  The  original  reports 
should  be  forwarded  to  the  respective  departments  having  jurisdiction,  while 
those  which  concern  the  Police  Department  should  be  filed  with  the  chief. 
That  part  of  the  sergeant's  report  under  the  head  "Department,"  which 
provides  for  the  report  of  policemen  on  vacation,  leave  of  absence,,  excused, 
late,  etc.,  should  be  recorded  upon  regular  time  sheets  maintained  at  the 
office  of  the  chief. 

Complaints  against  policemen  should  be  submitted  upon  specially  printed 
forms. 

CONSOLIDATED  DAILY  RETURN. 

Instead  of  the  sergeant's  daily  reports,  the  Mayor  should  receive  a  "con- 
solidated return"  which  should  be  prepared  upon  a  printed  form,  with  proper 
headings.      This    report    should    contain    sufficient    headings    to    provide    for 


162  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


entering  thereon,  in  concise,  consolidated  form,  a  report  of  the  activities  of 
the  force  for  each  24  hours.  The  report  should  show  the  presence  or  absence 
of  the  members  of  the  force  at  both  roll  calls,  the  number  of  day  and  night 
beats  in  the  city,  the  number  of  beats  actually  patrolled  on  each  tour  of  duty, 
the  names  of  members  of  the  force  absent,  and  the  reasons  for  their  absence. 

It  should  also  contain  a  table  of  arrests  showing  the  number  of  male  and 
female  prisoners  arrested  during  the  preceding  24  hours.  This  table  should 
be  classified  by  crimes,  showing  total  number  arrested  for  misdemeanors, 
drunkenness,  juvenile  delinquencies,  and  felonies.  All  aided  cases  should  be 
reported  thereon.  The  return  should  show  the  number  of  policemen  assigned 
to  mounted,  motorcycle  and  traffic  duty. 

Special  details  such  as  policemen  assigned  to  "plain  clothes"  duty,  special 
posts  or  any  other  form  of  special  duty,  should  be  noted,  showing  their  names 
and  shield  numbers  and  character  of  duty  to  which  they  are  assigned. 

REPORT  SHOULD  CONTAIN  COMPARATIVE  TABLES. 

Under  the  heading  "arrests"  should  appear,,  in  tabular  form,  not  only 
the  arrests  classified  as  to  crimes  for  the  preceding  24  hours,  but  likewise 
the  arrests  for  the  same  day  of  the  preceding  year,  and  the  total  number  of 
arrests  for  each  of  the  crimes  classified  in  detail  for  the  current  year. 

Under  the  heading  "complaints  received",  the  number  of  complaints 
received  during  the  preceding  24  hours,  classified  as  to  subjects  complained 
of,  should  be  entered.  The  record  o£  complaints  should  be  in  the  same 
tabular  form  as  the  record  of  arrests. 

It  should  be  understood  that  this  report  is  merely  a  summary  of  the 
activities  and  not  a  detailed  report,  and  should  not  interfere  with  the  regular 
detailed  reports  suggested  elsewhere. 

REPORTS  WHICH  MAYOR  SHOULD  RECEIVE. 

The  reports  at  present  sent  to  the  Mayor  do  not  enable  him  to  judge  of 
the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  the  force,  and  in  a  large  sense  contain 
nothing  more  than  time  reports  and  such  current  information  as  *s  contained 
upon  the  sergeants'  daily  reports. 

The  rules  of  the  Department  should  provide  that  the  chief  forward  to  the 
Mayor  detailed  written  reports  upon  all  cases  occuring  during  regular  hours 
as  soon  as  they  are  brought  to  his  attention.  Each  morning  the  chief  should 
forward  to  the  Mayor,  detailed  reports  upon  all  occurances  happening  during 
the  night,  which  are  of  greater  importance  than  the  ordinary  routine  mat- 
ters. On  the  first  day  of  each  month  the  chief  should  file  with  the  Mayor 
and  Council,  a  monthly  report  containing  a  summary  of  all  the  facts  contained 
in  the  daily  consolidated  returns.  All  these  reports  should  be  made  out  in 
duplicate,,  and  a  copy  filed  in  the  office  of  the  chief. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  to  be  of  any  real  value,  statistical  reports 
upon  police  activities  should  be  comparable.  They  should  show  by  comparison 
with  the  same  period  of  the  preceding  year,  the  crime  conditions  of  the  city, 
and  the  success  or  failure  of  the  Police  Department  in  apprehending  the 
persons  responsible  for  the  crimes.  To  this  end,  wherever  complaints  received 
are  tabulated,  immediately  alongside   of  them   should   appear  the  number  of 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 163 

arrests  or  specific  action  taken  upon  them,  the  object  being  to  show,  first, 
the  action  taken  by  the  police  upon  the  complaint,  and  secondly,  the  result 
of  such  action. 

RECORD  OF  ARRESTS  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED. 

One  of  the  most  important  records  of  a  police  department  is  the  record 
of  prisoners'  pedigrees.  The  present  method  can  be  greatly  improved  upon 
by  the  establishment  of  an  "arrest  blotter."  At  present  the  pedigree  of 
prisoners  is  entered  in  the  magistrate's  docket,  but  no  statement  of  the  facts 
concerning  such  record  is  noted  in  this  book.  It  is  recommended  that  the 
title  of  this  record  be  changed  to  "record  of  arrests"  and  the  printed  headings 
also  be  changed  so  as  to  call  for  additional  information  concerning  the 
prisoner  and  the  reasons  for  his  arrest.  A  complete  statement  of  the  charge 
against  the  prisoner  and  the  facts  of  the  arrest  should  be  entered  in  this 
record  at  the  time  the  prisoner  is  arraigned.  Information  as  to  bail  or 
forfeit  should  also  be  included. 

This  book  should  be  in  charge  of  the  desk  sergeant  in  the  station  house. 
The  pedigree  of  the  prisoner  should  be  entered  in  the  presence  of  the 
prisoner  when  arrested.  The  disposition  of  the  case  should  be  entered  im- 
mediately upon  the  disposition  of  the  case  by  the  magistrate.  When  prop- 
erty is  returned  to  the  prisoner,  he  should  be  required  to  sign  his  name  in 
the  record  of  arrests. 

A  DESK  BLOTTER  SHOULD  BE  USED. 

Instead  of  the  present  book,  in  which  is  kept  complaints,  etc.,  a  desk 
blotter  should  be  established.  This  book  should  be  a  complete  chronological 
record  of  the  business  conducted  at  the  station  house.  The  complaint  book 
now  in  use  was  apparently  intended  to  be  a  chronological  history  of  the 
Department,,  but  the  object  has  been  defeated  because  of  lack  of  rules  govern- 
ing the  method  or  manner  of  entry  in  this  book.  It  is,,  therefore,  recom- 
mended that  the  title  of  this  book  be  changed  to  "desk  blotter"  and  that 
specific  rules  be  promulgated  governing  not  only  the  manner  of  entry,  but 
defining  just  what  shall  be  entered  in  the  blotter.  The  desk  blotter  should 
be  very  much  larger  than  the  present  complaint  book.  The  rules  should 
require  that  the  blotter  contain  the  following: 

1.  Pasted  on  the   inside   of  the  front  cover,  a  list  of  the  patrolmen  and 

sergeants,  their  shield  numbers  and  the  number  of  the  posts  to  which 
they  are   assigned. 

2.  A  record  of  all  police  business  affecting  the  Department  or  any  part 

of  it. 

3.  A  record  of  service  performed  by  each  member  of  the  command,  with 

the  time  and  location  of  the  service. 

4.  In   the   sergeant's    handwriting,   the   time   at   which   he    arrived   at   the 

station,  the  time  he  left  and  the  purpose  of  leaving. 

5.  Delinquencies  of  members  of  the  command. 

6.  Itemized  list   of  property,  coming  into  the  temporary  possession  of  the 

Department  or  any  number  of  it,  a  record  of  the  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  found,,  the  name  and  address  of  the  person  who  found 


164  .     POLICE   DEPARTMENT 


it  and  the  name  and  address  of  the  owner,  if  known,  and  the  disposi- 
tion of  it. 

7.  The  visit  to  the  station  of  any  city  official,  the  time  of  his  arrival  and 

departure,  and  the  business  transacted. 

8.  A  record  of  complaints   other  than  letters   of  complaint  which  would 

otherwise  be  entered  in  the  citizens'   complaint  book  or  detectives'" 
complaint  book,  matters  requiring  police  action  and  action  taken. 

9.  A    record    of    subpoenas    received    and    served    upon    members    of    the 

Department. 

10.  All   matters    reported  by   members   of  the    Department   affecting   any 

duty  performed  by  any  of  them. 
The  blotter  should  be  in  the  handwriting  of  the  commanding  officer  or 
desk  officer.  Unnecessary  repetition  should  be  avoided.  When  a  matter  is 
fully  covered  in  one  record,  such  as  the  telephone  record,  arrest  record  or 
complaint  book,  and  it  is  necessary  that  entries  concerning  it  should  appear 
in  the  desk  blotter,  reference  should  be  made  to  the  other  detailed  entries. 
Every  member  of  the  command  should  be  accounted  for  in  the  roll  call 
of  the  platoon  or  section  to  which  he  is  attached,  and  his  presence  or  absence 
noted  in  the  desk  blotter. 

The  desk  officer,  on  taking  command,  should  enter  in  his  own  handwriting 
his  signature  and  the  hour  of  arrival.  The  desk  officer,  on  being  relieved, 
should  enter  his  signature,  the  hour  of  his  departure  and  the  purpose  of 
leaving. 

In  entering  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  force  in  the  desk  blotter,,, 
the  surname  should  be  used  except  when  there  are  two  members  of  the  same 
name,  when  the  initials  or  full  name  should  be  entered.  Abbreviations  should 
be  used  in  making  entries  in  the  desk  blotter,  in  accordance  with  an  established 
code. 

Across  the  entire  top  line  of  the  page  should  be  written  the  day  of  the 
week,  the  month  and  the  year,  as  for  example: 

Thursday,  January  1,  1914. 
Each  day  should  begin  at  the  top  of  a  page. 

A  red  marginal  line  should  be  drawn  the  length  of  the  page,  allowing  two 
inches  .  of  margin  on  the  left  hand  side.  The  entries  should  be  made 
chronologically  as  they  occur  and  in  the  margin  should  appear  the  time. 
Not  only  the  time  should  be  written  in  red  ink,  but  also  a  marginal  notation 
as  to  the  subject  of  the  entry.  For  example,  if  the  entry  be  that  a  citizen 
is  complaining  of  a  robbery,  the  words  "Compt.  of  Robbery"  should  be 
written  in  red  ink  in  the  margin,  under  the  time;  or,  if  the  entry  be  one 
relating  to  a  fire,  the  word  "fire"  should  appear  in  red  ink,  the  same  being 
true  of  entries  such  as  roll  call,  accidents,  etc. 

When  an  error  is  made  a  red  line  should  be  drawn  through  the  erroneous 
entry  and  the  correction  written  alongside  with  the  initials  of  the  officer 
making  the  correction.  The  rules  should  prohibit  erasures  not  only  in  tin's, 
but  in  every  record  of  the  department. 

If  the  entries  for  a  day  extend  only  to  the  middle  of  the  page,  immediately 
beneath  the  last  line  of  the  entry,  a  horizontal  line  across  the  entire  page, 
and  an  oblique  line  running  from  the  left  hand  of  the  horizontal  line  to  the 
lower  right  hand  corner  of  the  page  should  be  drawn  in  red  ink.  One  line- 
should  be  left  between  each  entry. 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  i6= 


RECORD  OF  AIDED  CASES. 

No  special  book  is  provided  for  keeping  a   record  of  accidents,  injured 
persons  attended  at  the  police  ^tation,  dead  bodies  found  and  such  other  cases 
in  which  the  police  render  aid*.    The  present  method  is  to  enter  data  concern- 
ing aided   cases   upon  the   sergeant's   daily  report,  along  with   other   routine 
business  of  the  department.    There  is  no  complete  police  record  of  ambulance. 
If  the  ambulance  is  called  through  the  police  telephone,  the  department  noti- 
fies the  driver  of  the   ambulance,  and  the  only  record  of  such   cases   is  the 
record  of  the  time  the  call  was  received  and  the  location  to  which  the  ambu- 
lance was  sent.     If  the  ambulance  is  called  by  telephone,  or  otherwise,  not 
through   the   police   wires,   the    department   would   have   no    record   whatever 
of  such  a  call.     Thus  it  is  impossible  to  secure  any  definite  information  from 
the  records   concerning  the   ambulance  cases.     This   is  true,,  notwithstanding 
that  the  Council,  in  1909,  adopted  a  resolution  which  required  that  the  ambu- 
lance should  be  under  the  supervision  of  the  police  and  that  all  calls  should 
come  through  the  Police   Department. 

Because  of  litigation  arising  out  of  street  accidents,  constant  demands 
are  made  upon  the  Police  Department  for  certified  copies  of  police  records. 
More  frequent  queries  are  made  concerning  aided  cases  than  perhaps  any 
other  police  business.  Therefore,  the  records  of  aided  casss  should  be 
compiled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  facilitate  ready  access  to  them.  The  depart- 
ment should  have  a  separate  record  book  known  as  a  "record  of  aided  cases." 
In  this  book  should  be  entered  a  complete  and  detailed  accound  of  all  per- 
sons receiving  aid  through  the  Department  of  Police.  The  record  in  each 
case  should  include  the  name,  age,  address,  color,  nationality,  occupation, 
social  condition  of  the  person  aided  and  a  detailed  statement  of  the  facts 
in  connection  with  the  case,  including  the  names  and  addresses  of  witnesses, 
and  in  brief  any  statement  made  by  them. 

The  pedigree  of  persons  lodging  at  the  station  house  should  also  be 
carried  in  the  record  of  aided  cases.  This  record  should  have  printed  head- 
ings, and  each  case  entered  should  be  numbered  consecutively.  This  book, 
as  well  as  the  arrest  blotter,,  should  be  indexed  to  the  name  of  the  person 
aided  or  arrested. 

PRESENT  SIGNAL  BOX  TIME  SHEET  ADEQUATE. 

The  time  sheet  now  in  use,  upon  which  is  recorded  the  time  at  which 
a  member  of  the  force  signals  from  his  post,  is  adequate  and  should  be  con- 
tinued in  use,  except  that  the  practice  of  entering  the  names  of  prisoners 
on  the  back  thereof  should  be  abandoned.  Inasmuch  as  the  chief  will  receive 
a  card  record  of  arrests  each  morning  from  the  desk  sergeant,  the  entering 
of  these  names  upon  the  time  sheet  should  no  longer  be  necessary. 

SLATE  RECORD  SHOULD  BE  ABANDONED. 

The  use  of  the  slate  for  recording  prisoners'  pedigrees  should  be  aban- 
doned at  once  as  provision  has  been  made  in  this  report  for  adequate 
records  upon  which  to  enter  the  pedigree  of  prisoners. 


166  POLICE    DEPARTMENT 

TELEPHONE  RECORD. 

Although  much  of  the  business  of  police  work  is  carried  on  over  the 
telephone,  no  record  of  telephone  messages  is  kept  at  the  city  hall. 

No  message,  incoming  or  outgoing,  should  be  left  unrecorded,  and  a 
special  record  should  be  established  to  be  officially  known  as  the  "telephone 
record."  This  book  should  contain  a  record  of  all  police  business  conducted 
by  telephone  and  received  or  transmitted  by  the  command  or  any  member 
of  it.  The  rank,  surname  and  command  of  persons  •  receiving  and  trans- 
mitting, and  the  surname  and  official  designation  of  the  person  under  whose 
direction  the  message  was  sent,  should  be  recorded,  and  the  time  of  com- 
pleting the  conversation  should  be  considered  the  time  of  the  message. 
The  rules  should  provide  that  all  prisoners  should  have  the  right  to  send  a 
telephone  message  notifying  their  friends,  in  order  to  secure  bail.  A  record 
telephone  message  totifying  their  friends,  in  order  to  secure  bail.  A  record 
of  the  message  containing  the  time,  the  number  called  and  the  name  of  the 
person  telephoned,  should  be  kept  in  this  book.  The  regular  signals  from 
patrol  boxes,  however,  should  be  carried  upon  the  patrol  box  time  sheet 
as  at  present. 

CITIZENS'   COMPLAINT  BOOK. 

The  present  method  of  recording  citizens'  complaints  is  most  inefficient, 
particularly,  because  all  complaints  are  not  recorded  and  those  which  are 
recorded  are  not  properly  entered. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  present  complaint  book,,  kept  by  the  desk 
sergeant,  be  abandoned,  and  a  regular  citizens'  complaint  book  be  estab- 
lished. There  is  at  present  a  regular  printed  complaint  book  which  should 
be  put  into  use  immediately.  At  present  it  is  used  only  to  enter  complaints 
which  result  in  an  arrest.  In  this  book  should  be  kept  a  record  of  all  com- 
plaints received,  except  complaints  requiring  the  attention  of  detectives, 
which  should  be  kept  in  the  detectives'  complaint  book  referred  to  elsewhere 
in  this  report.  As  soon  as  the  present  printed  complaint  book  is  filled,  a  new 
complaint  book  should  be  provided,  which  should  allow  more  space  for 
entering  complaints  and  the  disposition  of  them,  than  is  allowed  in  the  one 
now  in  use.  The  book  should  be  indexed  to  the  name  of  the  person  making 
the  complaint  and  to  the  subject  complained  of  as  well.  The  rules  should 
provide  that  in  each  case  the  name  or  names  of  the  officers  assigned  to  inves- 
tigate the  complaints  and  the  result  of  their  investigation,  be  entered  promptly. 
Complaints  sent  by  letter  should  be  copied  in  this  book  before  being  sent 
out  for  investigation. 

At  the  end  of  each  month  the  complaint  book  should  be  tabulated  and 
a  recapitulated  table  furnished,  showing  the   following: 

i — Complaint  received,  classified  as  to  subject  and  action  taken  upon  them. 

2 — Results  of  investigations,,  classified  as  to  complaints  unfounded,  ar- 
rests  made,  nuisances   abated,   etc. 

No  complaints  received  by  the  police,  whether  orally  or  in  writing, 
should  be  left  unrecorded.  Thus  every  complaint  received,  the  names  of  the 
officers  assigned  and  the  official  disposition  as  a  result  of  an  investigation 
should  appear  either  in  the  detectives'  complaint  book  or  the  citizens'  com- 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 167 

plaint   book.     The   method   of  handling   complaints   and   correspondence   will 
be  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

CARD  RECORDS  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED. 

The  office  of  the  chief  should  be  equipped  with  a  complete  card  record 
of  all  persons  arrested  and  aided.  For  this  purpose  the  department  should 
be  supplied  with  a  quantity  of  printed  cards,  each  series  of  a  different  color, 
to  be  officially  known  as  "arrest,"  "aided,"  "intoxication"  and  "lodger"  cards. 
The  intoxication  and  lodger  cards  are  suggested  in  order  that  a  complete 
separate  record  of  arrests  for  intoxication  and  persons  given  lodging  may 
be  maintained.  Both  of  these  records  are  valuable  as  separate  records  for 
the  use  of  the  magistrate  in  disposing  of  intoxication  cases  and  vagrancy 
cases. 

ARREST  CARD. 

The  arrest  card  should  have  printed  upon  it  the  same  headings  which 
appear  in  the  arrest  blotter.  The  information  concerning  each  arrest  should 
be  copied  from  the  arrest  blotter  upon  the  arrest  card.  These  cards  should 
be  retained  by  the  desk  sergeant  until  after  the  magistrate's  hearing,  and  the 
disposition  of  each  case  should  be  posted  upon  them.  They  should  then  be 
sent  to  the  office  of  the  chief  and  there  filed  alphabetically  according  to 
name  of  prisoner.  Thus  the  Department  of  Police  would  have  at  its  dis- 
posal a  card  record  of  all  arrests  made  in  the  city,  with  detailed  information 
concerning  them  alphabefically  arranged.  In  cases  where  the  defendant  is 
held  over  for  court  the  final  disposition  of  the  case  should  be  forwarded 
to  the  office  of  the  chief,  upon  a  supplemental  card  and  there  entered  upon 
the    original    arrest    card.* 

AIDED  CARD. 

A  card  containing  the  same  printed  headings  as  appear  in  the  aided  blot- 
ter should  be  filled  out  for  each  aided  case  (except  lodgers)  and  filed  daily 
with  the  chief. 

INTOXICATION  CARD. 

A  special  card  should  be  prepared  upon  which  should  be  recorded  the 
pedigree  of  each  person  arrested  for  intoxication  or  intoxication  and  disorderly 
conduct.  This  card  should  be  in  addition  to  the .  regular  arrest  card  and 
should  contain  headings  to  provide  for  detailed  information  concerning  the 
habits  of  the  prisoner. 

If  the  prisoner  is  so  intoxicated  at  the  time  of  arrest  as  to  be  unable  to 
answer  questions  intelligently,  he  or  she  should  be  required  to  answer  them 
before  being  arraigned  in  the  magistrate's  court  in  the  morning.  Before 
the  prisoner  is  arraigned,  an  examination  of  the  previous  arrest  cards  should 
be  made  to  determine  whether  there  is  any  card  on  file  showing  a  previous 


*  A  system  of  arrest  cards  to  remedy  these  conditions  will  be  installed 
in   February,   1914. 


i68 POLICE   DEPARTMENT      ' 

arrest  of  the  defendant  for  intoxication.  Each  month  the  facts  contained 
upon  these  cards  should  be  listed  and  tabulated  and  a  report  containing  a 
summary  of  the  facts  submitted  to  the  Council.  This  record  is  suggested 
in  order  that  the  Council  may  have  before  it  official  facts  and  figures  con- 
cerning the  inebriety  cases.  Such  data  should  form  the  basis  of  a  careful 
study  with  a  view  to  providing  treatment  of  persons  addicted  to  the  use  of 
liquor,  other  than  criminal  prosecution  and  incarceration  in  prison. 

LODGER  CARD. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  special  card  history  of  lodgers  be  established, 
and  a  study  made  of  the  facts  and  figures  assembled  upon  the  cards.  For 
this  purpose  it  is  suggested  that  a  special  card  be  prepared  calling  for  de- 
tailed information  concerning  the  history  of  the  applicant  for  free  lodging. 
The  card  should  contain  an  accurate  description  of  the  lodger.  This  card 
should  be  forwarded  to  the  office  of  the  chief  and  there  filed  alphabetically. 
The  information  on  these  cards  should  furnish  the  basis  of  a  study  of  the 
unemployed. 

RECORD  OF  REPAIRS  AND  SUPPLIES. 

No  adequate  record  of  repairs  and  supplies  is  at  present  maintained.  Not 
even  are  copies  of  the  requisitions  upon  the  City  Clerk  kept  at  the  office 
of  the  chief.  Requests  should  be  made  in  duplicate  on  forms  furnished  in 
bound  books.  The  original  copy  should  be  perforated  and  the  duplicate 
permanently  bound  and  retained  at  the  office  of  the  chief.  Separate  forms 
should  be  provided  for  repairs  and  supplies.  All  officers  should  be  instructed 
to  note  carefully  upon  the  requisition  forms  supplies  requested  but  not 
furnished,  and  repairs  requisitioned  but  not  made. 

INDIVIDUAL  RECORDS  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE  FORCE. 

The  only  records  concerning  members  of  the  force  at  present  main- 
tained by  the  chief  are  time  records  and  a  card  record  with  the  assignments 
of  the  members. 

A  complete  and  separate  record  should  be  kept  concerning  each  member 
of  the  force.  Each  of  the  present  members  should  be  required  to  fill  out  a 
specially  prepared  form,  stating  thereon  complete  and  detailed  information 
concerning  his  history.  These  statements  should  form  the  basis  of  individual 
records.  Each  member  of  the  force  should  have  a  separate  folder  in  which 
should  be  kept  these  statements  and  every  other  document  concerning  the 
member  during  his  services  as  a  policeman. 

DEPARTMENT  SHOULD  HAVE  PHOTOGRAPHS  OF  ALL 
MEMBERS  OF  THE  FORCE. 

The  department  should  have  a  photograph  of  every  member  of  the  force 
and  should  cause  each  member  to  furnish  a  new  photograph  at  least  every 
three  years.     This  practice  provides  for  an  adequate  method  of  identification. 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT 16? 

POLICEMAN'S  CARD  RECORD.  * 

Each  policeman  should  have  a  separate  card  upon  which  should  be  re- 
corded the  record  of  his  delinquencies.  Upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  card 
should  appear  the  record  of  any  extraordinary  service  performed  by  the 
policeman,,  such  as  an  heroic  act  of  bravery,  an  arrest  involving  special 
intelligence,  etc. 

HEALTH  RECORD  SHOULD  BE  MAINTAINED. 

As  referred  to  elsewhere  in  this  report,  a  separate  health  record  of  the 
members  of  the  force  should  be  maintained.  This  should  be  in  the  form 
of  a  card  record  and  should  show  every  absence  due  to  illness,  cause  of  illness 
and  duration  of  illness. 

SERGEANTS  SHOULD  MAKE  MONTHLY  LICENSE  REPORTS. 

Sergeants  should  be  required  to  render  a  monthly  report  to  the  chief 
showing  that  they  have  inspected  or  caused  to  be  inspected  during  the 
month  all  licensed  premises  in  the  district.  This  report  should  also  contain 
a  record  of  arrests  and  all  violations  of  the  law  discovered,  and  all  other 
necessary  information  concerning  licensed  premises. 

SERGEANTS  SHOULD  MAKE  MONTHLY  REPORT  OF 
SUSPECTED  PLACES. 

Sergeants  should  be  required  to  render  a  monthly  report  to  the  chief 
containing  lists  of  all  places  suspected  of  being  gambling  houses,  disorderly 
houses,  houses  of  prostitution  or  "fences"  within  their  districts.  This  report 
should  be  in  addition  to  the  specific  detailed  report  filed  by  the  sergeant  when 
such  place  is  discovered. 


FILING  SYSTEM 

NO  SYSTEM  AT  PRESENT. 

The  Department  of  Police  has  at  present  but  one  filing  cabinet  for  its 
records.  This  is  a  vertical  correspondence  cabinet  and  is  located  in  the 
office  of  the  chief.  There  is  no  regular  system  of  filing  in  operation,  and, 
consequently,  the  files  are  inefficiently  maintained.  It  is  recommended  that 
the  additional  clerk,  whose  appointment  is  suggested,  be  in  charge  of  the 
records  and  files  of  the  department,  and  that  for  this  purpose  the  room  now 
used  by  the  desk  sergeant  be  equipped  and  maintained  as  a  filing  bureau. 

IMPOSSIBLE  TO  TRACE  LOST  DOCUMENTS. 

Under  the  present  system,  documents  and  records  receive  no  serial 
number  when  filed,  and  papers  may  be  removed  from  the  cabinet  and  de- 
stroyed without  their  loss  being  discovered.  When  papers  are  removed 
from  the  files  no  receipt  is  signed  by  the  person  securing  them  and  no  record 


i/o POLICE    DEPARTMENT 

is   kept   which    would    indicate    to    whom    the    papers    were    delivered.     Thus 
there  is  no  method  of  tracing  documents  once  they  have  left  the  file. 

METHOD  OF  HANDLING  MAIL. 

There  is  no  regular  procedure  for  the  handling  of  mail.  It  is  suggested 
that  all  mail  addressed  to  the  Police  Department  should  remain  in  the  post 
office  until  called  for  by  an  authorized  agent  of  the  Chief  of  Police.  The 
department  should  have  its  own  mail  bag,  equipped  with  a  lock  and  two 
keys,  one  key  to  be  kept  at  the  post  office  and  the  other  at  the  office  of  the 
chief.  At  various  times  during  the  day  the  patrol  wagon  driver  should  be 
dispatched  to  the  post  office  for  the  mail  bag.  The  bag  should  be  delivered 
either  to  the  chief  or  to  his  clerk.  The  mail  should  be  assorted  and  distributed 
to  the  officers  to  whom  it  is  addressed.  The  mail  addressed  to  the  depart- 
ment or  to  the  chief,  concerning  Police  Department  business,  should  have 
the  date  and  time  of  receipt  stamped  upon  it  as  soon  as  opened. 

METHOD  OF  HANDLING  COMPLAINTS. 

Communications  from  all  sources,  whether  official  or  not,  received  by 
mail,  messenger,,  personal  call  or  telephone,  if  not  already  in  written  form, 
should  be  reduced  to  writing  immediately  upon  receipt,  and  the  time  and 
date  of  receipt  should  be  stamped  thereon. 

Each  complaint  should  be  given  a  serial  number,  the  number  to  corre- 
spond with  the  number  given  the  complaint  in  the  complaint  book.  The 
clerk  should  write  a  brief  synopsis  of  the  facts  contained  in  the  letter  of 
complaint  upon  a  "brief  sheet,"  without  giving  the  name  or  address  of  the 
complainant  except  in  cases  where  the  complainant  asks  to  be  interviewed. 
The  original  letter  of  complaint  should  never  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
investigating  officers.  Each  brief  sheet  should  contain  a  direction  to  inves- 
tigate and  report.  The  report  of  the  officers'  investigation  should  be  written 
on  the  brief  sheet,  except  when  it  is  so  long  as  to  require  an  additional 
sheet,  in  which  case  the  officer  should  report  upon  a  sheet  of  paper  of  the 
same  size  as  the  brief  sheet.  The  report,  when  filed,  should  be  reviewed 
by  the  chief.  Care  should  be  taken  to  note  in  the  report  any  action  taken  as 
a  result  of  investigation.  The  brief  sheet  and  report  should  then  be  attached 
to  the  original  complaint  and  filed. 

FILING  SYSTEM. 

The  files  should  be  divided  into  three  sections: 

I — Complaints — vice   and   general. 

2 — Personnel  files,  to  include  all  papers  relating  to  members  of  the  uni- 
formed force  or  employees  of  the  department,  to  be  filed  alpha- 
betically by  the  name  of  the  individual. 

3 — General  correspondence — in  which  should  be  kept  copies  of  originals 
of  all  correspondence  relating  to  police  matters  except  matters 
referring  to  members  of  the  force  and  the  complaints. 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT  171 


METHOD  OF  SECURING  PAPERS  FROM  THE  FILES. 

The  rules  should  require  that  all  papers  and  documents  be  sent  to  be 
filed  as  promptly  as  possible,  and  no  papers  should  be  removed  from  the 
files  except  upon  a  written  request  signed  by  the  chief  or  the  Mayor.  The 
requisition  should  state  specifically  the  papers  desired  and  the  name  of  the 
person  desiring  their  use. 

The  requisition  should  contain  a  form  of  receipt  thereon,  to  be  signed 
by  the  person  to  whom  the  papers  are  delivered.  A  red  card  to  be  known 
as  an  "out"  card  should  be  provided.  When  papers  are  removed  from  the 
files  the  title  of  the  documents  so  removed  should  be  placed  on  this,  which 
should  then  be  placed  in  the  files  from  which  the  papers  have  been  taken. 
The  requisition  should  be  filed  in  a  separate  file  and  not  removed  until  the 
papers  are  returned  and  placed  back  in  their  position  in  the  files.  Then  the 
original  requisition  should  be  filed  permanently. 


ANNUAL  REPORT 

PRESENT  FORM  OF  NO  ADMINISTRATIVE  VALUE. 

The  annual  report  of  the  Police  Department  as  at  present  prepared  is  of 
no  administrative  value.  All  the  tables  of  arrest  in  the  annual  report  show 
only  the  conditions  for  the  year  reported  upon.  Thus  a  comparison  of  the 
work  performed  by  the  Department  of  Police  cannot  be  made.  The  report 
fails  to  point  out  whether  crime  is  on  the  increase  or  decrease,  and  a  study 
of  the  figures  does  not  disclose  any  information  upon  the  subject  of  crime 
in  the  city. 

The  police  report  should  be  more  than  a  mere  statement  of  activities 
of  the  department  for  the  period  reported  upon.  In  fact,  it  should  be  a 
complete  record  of  criminal  conditions,  a  guide  to  the  legislature  and  Council 
in  framing  penal  laws  and  ordinances,  and  a  guide  to  judgment  as  to  the 
efficiency  of  the  police  service. 

NO  COMPARATIVE  TABLES  FURNISHED. 

All  tables  should  be  on  a  basis  of  comparison  with  former  years.  It  is 
of  no  value  to  state  that  there  were  five  arrests  for  burglaries  during  the  year 
1912,  unless  in  comparison  there  appears  the  number  of  arrests  for  burglaries 
during  the  years  191 1,  1910,  etc. 

NO  MENTION  OF  CRIMES  FOR  WHICH  NO  ARRESTS  WERE 

MADE. 

The  report  as  at  present  prepared  is  of  absolutely  no  value  in  judging 
the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  the  Department  of  Police  nor  in  judging 
crime  conditions  of  the  city,  because  nowhere  in  the  report  is  there  any 
reference  to  the  number  of  crimes  reported  for  which  no  arrests  were  made. 

NO  MENTION  MADE  OF  COMPLAINTS  RECEIVED. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  most  important  information  as  a  guide 


172  POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

to  efficiency  and  general  conditions  in  the  city  is  the  number  of  complaints 
received,  classified  as  to  the  subject  complained  of,  action  taken  and  arrests 
resulting  therefrom,  compared  with  the  complaints  for  the  same  subjects  in 
prior  years,  not  a  single  line  in  the  report  is  devoted  to  this  subject. 

COMPLETE  DETAILED   REPORT   RECOMMENDED. 

It  is,  therefore,  recommended  that  the  Department  of  Police  issue  an 
annual  report  containing  adequate  statistics  of  police  activity  arranged  in 
tables  which  would  be  of  real  value  in — 

i — Determining  the  efficiency  of  the  force; 

2 — Determining  the  crime  conditions  of  the  city; 

3 — Furnishing  a  guide  to  the  Council  in  the  matter  of  enacting  ordinances 

affecting  the  department  and  the  suppression  of  crime. 
4 — Presenting  a  true  picture  of  the  activities  of  the  Police  Department, 
not  only  by  a  statement  of  facts  for  the  year  reported  upon,  but  by 
comparison  with  former  years. 
The  report  should  be  divided  into  sections  as  follows: 
i — A  section  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  force.     In  this  section  should 
appear  tables  showing: 
Number  of  appointments 
Transfers 
Promotions 
Deaths 
Dismissals 

Trials  upon  charges  and  dispositions 
Reinstatements    . 

Number  of  days  of  absence  of  policemen  due  to  illness 
Prevailing  causes  of  illness 
Sanitary  condition   of  station  house 
2 — A  section  showing  the  financial  condition  of  the  department.     In  this 
section  there  shou.ld  be  tables  showing: 

Total  amount  of  money  appropriated  for  the   Police   Department,. 

year  by  year  for  the  past  five  years; 
Disbursements  tabulated  as  to  salaries,  repairs  and   supplies,  new 
equipment,  feeding  of  prisoners,,  printing,  procuring  of  evidence, 
maintenance  of  horses  and  automobiles  and  other  expenditures; 
Receipts  of  money  for  license  fees,  sale  of  condemned  equipment 
and  policemen's  fines. 
3 — A  section  giving  statistics  as  to  repairs  and  supplies  prepared  in  tabular 
form  as  to — 

Character,  amount  and  value  of  new  equipment  purchased 
Repairs 
Supplies 
4— A   section   showing  the   activiy   of  the   force.     This   section   should   be 
divided    into    two    parts,    namely,    detective    division    and    uniformed 
force — 

a — Under  the  heading  "detective  division"  the  fullest  detailed  sta- 
tistics possible  should  be  furnished  in  tabular  form  as  to  the 
following: 


POLICE    DEPARTMENT 173 

(i)  Complaints  received  requiring  detective  attention,  show- 
ing the  number  investigated,  the  number  unfounded,  the 
number  upon  which  arrests  were  made,  those  upon 
which  no  action  at  all  was  taken  and  the  number  upon 
which  no  results  were  obtained  after  action  had  been 
taken. 

(2)  Arrests   for   felonies   made   by  members   of  the   detective 

division  classified  as  to  crime,  showing  the  number  of 
males  and  females,  and  the  disposition  of  the  cases 
under  the  headings  "convicted,"  "acquitted"  and  "pend- 
ing." 

(3)  Arrests    for    misdemeanors — the    same    classifications    as 

for  felonies  should  be  used. 

(4)  Separate"  tables  showing  arrests  upon  warrants,  pick-ups 

and  those  brought  back  from  other  cities. 

(5)  Number   of  murders   committed   and   reported   each   year 

for  the  five  preceding  years  with  the  number  of  arrests 
and  dispositions  stated  in  the  same  table. 

(6)  Cases    of   burglary    and    house-breaking    reported.      This 

table  should  show  how  the  burglary  was  effected  under 
a  form  heading  such  as  false  keys,  breaking  doors  in- 
securely fastened,  etc.,  and  the  hours  between  which 
the  burglary  was  believed  to  have  been  committed,  the 
total  value  of  the  property  stolen,  the  total  value  of  the 
property  recovered,  the  number  of  cases  in  which  no 
ultimate  loss  occurred,  the  number  of  cases  in  unoc- 
cupied houses  and  the  number  in  which  personal  vio- 
lence was  used. 

(7)  Number  of  arrests  and  investigations  made  by  each  mem- 

ber of  the  detective  division,  classified  as  to  crime  and 
place  under  proper  headings, 
b — Under  the  heading  "uniformed  force"  the  fullest  detailed  statis- 
tics should  be  furnished  in  tabular  form  as  to  the  following: 

(1)  Complaints    received   and   investigated   by   the   uniformed 

force,,  showing  the  number  investigated,  the  number 
unfounded,  the  number  upon  which  arrests  were  made, 
those  upon  which  no  action  at  all  was  taken  and  the 
number  upon  which  no  results  were  obtained. 

(2)  Arrests   for   felonies   made   by   the   members    of  the   uni- 

formed force,  classified  as  to  crime,  showing  the  number 
of  males  and  females,  and  the  disposition  of  the  cases 
under  the  headings  "convicted,"  "acquitted"  and  "pend- 
ing." 

(3)  Arrests   for   misdemeanors — the   same   classifications   and 

headings  as  for  felonies  should  be  used. 
The  report  should  contain  a  separate  table  of  arrests  classified  by 
crimes  in  which  should  be  noted  all  arrests  made  by  motorcycle 
men  together  with  the  disposition  of  same.  All  these  tables  should 
show  the  total  number  of  arrests  under  the  same  heading  for  each 
of  the  preceding  five  years. 


174 POLICE   DEPARTMENT 

5 — A  section  showing  in  tabular  form  persons  aided  by  the  Department 
of  Police.  This  table  should  show  the  number  of  male  and  female 
persons  to  whom  assistance  has  been  given.  By  persons  aided  is 
meant  injured  persons  sent  to  the  hospital,  missing  persons  found, 
dead  bodies  sent  to  the  morgue  or  home,  children  found  by  police, 
foundlings  taken  care  of,  etc.  The  headings  for  this  table  should 
include — 
Assault 

Accidental    injury 
Attempted  suicide 
Found  dead 
Found  drowned 
Insane 

Rescued    from    drowning 
Sick 
Suicide 

Persons    missing 
Number  reported   missing 
Number  located  by  police 
Number  otherwise    found 
Number  still   missing 
Lost  children 

Number  reported   lost 
Number  found  by   police 
Number  reported   found 
Number  still  missing 
Foundlings 

Number  found  by  police 
Number  brought  to  the  station  house 
Lodgers 
The  side  columns  should  contain  the  following  headings: 
Male 
Female 
Total 
Claimed 
Taken  home 
Taken  to    hospital 
Attended  at  station  house 
Prisoner 

Taken   to   morgue 
Restored  to   parents 
6 — A  section  showing  general  crime  statistics.     This  section  should  con- 
tain in  tabular  form  the  fullest  statistics   as  to  the  following: 
a — Arrests  for  intoxication:  Headings  for  this  table  should  be  so 
arranged  as  to  show  in  separate  columns  the  number  of  ar- 
rests between  i  A.  M.  and  6  A.  M.,  and  6  A.  M.  and  I  P.  M.; 
i  P.  M.  and  7  P.  M.;  7  P.  M.  and  10  P.  M.;   10  P.   M,  and 
1  A.  M.  on  each  day  of  the  week.     Additional  headings  based 
on    the    information    contained    on    the    intoxication    arrest 
cards  should  be  incorporated  as  a  table.     A  distinction  should 


POLICE   DEPARTMENT 175 

be  made  between  arrest  for  intoxication  and  arrest  for  in- 
toxication and  disorderly  conduct  involving  a  breach  of  the 
peace. 

Because   of   a   lack   of   statistics,  concerning   arrests,   it  will 
be  impossible  in  the  next  annual  report  to  show  arrests  for 
more  than  one  offense  by  the  same  person.     Columns,  how- 
ever,  under   the   headings   first,   second,   third   and   fourth   ar- 
rests should  be  incorporated  in  the  table  and  the  information 
under  these  headings  based  upon  the  statements  of  the  pris- 
oners  as  to  their  former  number  of  arrests.      In   subsequent 
years,  however,  the  information  under  these  headings  should 
be  based  upon  the  department's  own  statistics. 
b — Arrests   for  disorderly   conduct   and   prostitution:   These   tables 
should  show  the  nationality  and  sex  of  all  prisoners,  classified 
as  to  crime.     The  information  of  this  table  should  be  in  ac- 
cordance   with    the    forms    already    suggested.      The    present 
table  of  crimes  in  the  annual  report  shows  neither  the  color 
nor  the  sex  of  the  prisoners, 
c — Arrests    for  juvenile   delinquency:    This   table   should   show   the 
number  of  children  arrested  for  juvenile  delinquency  at  vari- 
ous   ages    classified   as    to   the   nature    of   offense.      It    should 
show  the  disposition  of  each  case  under  the  following  head- 
ings: 
Tried 
Convicted 
Acquitted 
Discharged 
No  complaints  taken 
Paroled 
On  bail 

Detained  in  charitable  institution 
Sent  to  reformatory  school 
Forfeiture 
Death  of  defendant 
d — Sentences   of  persons  imprisoned  and  fined:  This  table  should 
show  the  amount  of  fines  tabulated  in  amounts  from  $5.00  to 
$ifooo   with    side    columns    for    terms    of   imprisonment    from 
five  days  to  over  ten  years, 
e — Terms    of    imprisonment    tabulated    to    show    prison    sentences 

imposed  from  five  days  to  life,  classified  as  to  crime. 
f — Arrests    for    intoxication,    disorderly    conduct    and    prostitution 

on  holidays, 
g — Disposition  of  all  arrests,  classified  as  to  offense,  showing 
total  number  of  arrests  made  for  each  crime,  records  of  con- 
victions and  acquittals  with  sub-classifications  as  to  convic- 
tions by  plea  of  guilty  or  by  trial  and  acquittals  by  direction, 
by  verdict,  or  discharged  (sub-classified  as  to  discharges  by 
magistrates  or  grand  jury,  by  dismissal  of  indictment  or  on 
own  recognizance);  cases  pending,  sub-divided  as  follows: 
In  jail 


176 POLICE  DEPARTMENT 

On  bail 

Under  parole  and  forfeiture 
h — Persons  convicted  of  offenses,  classified  according  to  age  and 

sex. 
i — Record  of  weapons  confiscated,  classified  as  to — 
Revolvers 
Shot  guns 
'Stilettos 
Swords 
7 — Signal   service:    Under   this   heading   should   be   given   statistics    as   to 
the  number  of  incoming  and  outgoing  telephone  calls  over  depart- 
ment wires  as  well  as  through  the  municipal  board,  and  all  recom- 
mendations as  to  improving  the  telephone  service. 
8 — Recommendations:   Under  this  heading   should  be   noted   all   recom- 
mendations concerning  the  force  and  its  management. 


Weiler's  Printing  House   ^S^^^   440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  SIX 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Parks 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 
10  CENTS 


C  ONTENTS 


Page 
Summary    of    Criticisms    and    Constructive    Suggestions    Which    May    be 

Easily  Adopted  by   Council    183-184 

Administration   185 

Personnel   185 

Appropriations   186 

Revenue 187 

Purchase  and  Provision  of  Supplies  and  Equipment 187 

Provision  of  Buildings    188 

Maintenance  of  Park  Properties   188 

Publicity 190 


PARK    DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PARKS 


SUMMARY    OF    CRITICISMS    AND    CONSTRUCTIVE 

SUGGESTIONS  WHICH  MAY  BE  EASILY 

ADOPTED  BY  COUNCIL 


ADMINISTRATION. 

The  Park  Board  is  not  in  close  enough  touch  with  the  Department's 
work  to  know  its  problems  and  needs.  The  Board  should  be  abolished  and 
its  powers  and  duties  should  be  taken  over  by  the  Council. 

PERSONNEL. 

The  Superintendent  of  Parks  is  hampered  by  lack  of  clerical  assistance. 
A  clerk  should  be  employed  to  keep  the  detailed  records  which  are  recom- 
mended. 

APPROPRIATIONS. 

Lump  sum  appropriations  for  "general"  purposes  should  not  be  allowed. 
Each  appropriation  should  show  in  detail  exactly  the  use  to  which  the  money 
is  to  be  put. 

The  yearly  transfer  of  $2,500  from  the  funds  of  the  Water  Board  for  the 
maintenance  of  Mineral  Springs  Park  should  be  discontinued  and  an  ap- 
propriation made  directly  through  the  Park  Department  for  this  service. 

The  cost  of  the  park  concerts  should  be  included  in  the  appropriation 
instead  of  being  met,  as  at  present,  by  voluntary  subscriptions. 

PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES  AND  EQUIPMENT. 

The  Superintendent  is  obliged  to  use  a  horse  and  buggy  on  his  tours  of 
inspection  and  supervision.     He  should  be  provided  with  a  small  automobile. 

PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

The  toilets  in  Penn's  Common  and  Mineral  Springs  Park  are  unsanitary. 
Toilets  should  be  properly  connected  with  the  sewer  wherever  that  is  possible. 
They  should  be  made  and  kept  models  of  sanitation. 

MAINTENANCE  OF  PARK  PROPERTIES. 

The  city  should  develop  the  properties  it  now  owns,  before  buying  any 
more. 

Baer  Park  is  of  no  service  in  its  present  uncultivated  state.  It  should  be 
equipped  as  a  city  playground  and  athletic  field. 


1 84  PARK  DEPARTMENT-SUMMARY 

The  parks  are  not  adequately  policed  during  the  summer  months.  Two 
policemen  should  be  detailed  to  '  service  in  Mineral  Springs  Park  during 
the  summer. 

As  there  is  no  policemen  on  the  boulevard,  the  regulation  of  fthe  Park 
Board  regarding  its  use  cannot  be  enforced.  A  mounted  policeman  should 
be  detailed  to  this  road. 

The  maintenance  of  the  park  roads  should  be  looked  after  by  the  Bureau 
of  Highways,  not  by  the  Park  Department. 

The  lighting  of  the  parks  by  arc  lights  is  inadequate.  Gasoline  street 
lamps  or  low  incandescent  lights  should  be  installed. 

Records  are  not  kept  of  the  planting,  removal  or  death  of  trees,  shrubs, 
etc.  Such  records  should  be  kept  as  a  basis  for  determining  the  cost  of 
maintenance. 

Trees  are  not  labeled  with  their  botanical  and  common  names,  although 
this  would  be  of  considerable  educational  value. 

The  facilities  for  watering  lawns,  trees,  plants,  etc.,  are  inadequate.  The 
pipe  lines  should  be  extended  so  as  to  supply  water  whenever  it  is  needed. 

The  trees  in  the  city  streets  are  not  properly  cared  for,  no  one,  apparently, 
being  responsible  for  this  service.  The  Park  Department  should  be  charged 
with  this  work  and  provided  with  the  necessary  funds  for  doing  it  properly. 

At  present  the  space  reserved  for  use  of  the  Zoological  Exhibit  is  much 
too  limited.  More  room  should  be  provided,  if  necessary,  by  partly  filling 
in  the  waterfowl  pond. 

PUBLICITY. 

No  monthly  or  annual  reports  are  published.  For  the  information  of 
taxpayer  and  of  Council,  monthly  reports  should  be  rendered,  and  the  entire 
twelve   months'  work   should  be   summarized  in  an  annual  report. 


PARK    DEPARTMENT  185 


DEPARTMENT  OF  PARKS 


CRITICISMS   AND    CONSTRUCTIVE    SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ADMINISTRATION,  PERSONNEL,  APPRO- 
PRIATIONS AND  MAINTENANCE. 


ADMINISTRATION 

PARK  BOARD  UNNECESSARY. 

The  Park  Board  is  composed  of  four  members  elected  by  Councils  for 
a  term  of  four  years.  They  receive  no  compensation.  They  have  no  stated 
times  for  meeting  and  as  a  result  meet  only  four  or  five  times  a  year.  The 
president  calls  a  meeting  only  in  case  some  important  administrative  problem 
is  to  be  considered.  A  Board  that  works  in  this  way  cannot  be  very  closely 
in  touch  with  the  real  work  and  needs  of  the  Department.  Reading's  park 
system  has  hardly  been  begun;  if  it  is  to  be  developed  adequately,  it  must 
have  a  more  active  and  less  conservative  administration.  The  Council  should 
abolish  the  Park  Board  and  take  over  all  its  powers  and  duties. 

PERSONNEL 

EFFICIENT  EXECUTIVE  HEAD. 

The  Superintendent  of  Parks  is  a  civil  engineer  of  ability  and  imagina- 
tion. He  is  keenly  interested  in  his  work  and  has  drawn  up  a  number  of 
plans  for  park  improvement,  some  of  which  are  now  being  put  in  operation, 
while  others  are  soon  to  be  begun.  The  park  system  is  essentially  a  one  man 
organization.  The  Superintendent  is  his  own  bookkeeper,  storehouse  keeper, 
purchasing  agent,  and  foreman  of  working  gangs.  He  personally  supervises 
the  work  of  the  8  park  employees,,  all  of  whom  rank  as  laborers. 

CLERICAL  ASSISTANT  NEEDED. 

The  Superintendent,  recognizing  the  need  for  a  better  system  of  ac- 
counting is  trying  to  keep  his  records  so  that  they  will  show  the  amount 
spent  on  each  division  or  function  of  his  service.  It  is  impossible  for  him 
to  do  the  clerical  work  and  keep  the  cost  records  which  he  needs,  because 
he  has  to  spend  most  of  his  time  supervising  the  field  work.  '  It  is  recom- 
mended that  he  be  provided  with  a  clerk,  at  a  salary  of  $750  per  year. 

TIME  AND  SERVICE  RECORDS  KEPT  BY  PARK 
SUPERINTENDENT. 

The  foreman  of  each  gang  of  laborers  is  required  to  keep  a  time  record 
of  each  man's  service.    The  time  books  are  printed  with  headings  correspond- 


186  PARK   DEPARTMENT 


ing  to  the  functions  into  which  the  Superintendent  has  divided  the  Depart- 
ment's work,  and  the  time  spent  by  an  employee  on  each  function  is  noted 
on  each  day's  record.  Employees  are  paid  semi-monthly,  according  to  the 
number  of  hours  they  have  worked,  at  a  fixed  hourly  rate.  This  is  an 
excellent  system  which  should  be  continued  under  the  improved  methods 
of  record  keeping  and  accounting  recommended  elsewhere  in  this  report. 
While  the  functional  headings  and  form  of  records  may  need  to  be  altered 
the  principle  worked  out  by  the  Park  Superintendent  is  correct,  as  it  in- 
dicates that  he  intends  to  make  time  and  service  records  the  basis  for  salary 
payments  and  records  of  costs. 


APPROPRIATIONS 

APPROPRIATIONS  SHOULD  SHOW  DETAILS  OF  INTENDED  USE. 

The  appropriation  for  the  Park  Department  for  the  current  year  did 
not  not  state  the  items  of  expenditure  with  sufficient  detail.  Only  the  four 
following  items  were  used: 

i.  General $14,000.00 

2.  Operation  and  maintenance  of  the  Zoo 1,000.00 

3.  Improvements  to  the  pagoda 2,000.00 

4.  Transfer  from  the  Water  Department  for  the  operation  and 

maintenance   of   the   Mineral    Springs   property 2,500.00 

Total $19,500 .  00 

This  appropriation  was  based  on  statements  of  previous  expenditure  by 
the  Superintendent.  If  his  estimates  were  properly  prepared,  with  the  ex- 
penditure divided  into  items  necessary  for  each  function  of  the  service,  the 
appropriation  should  have  followed  the  same  form.  The  item  of  $14,000  for 
"general"  purposes  should  have  shown  in  detail  the  uses  to  which  the  money 
was  to  be  put. 

NEED  FOR  IMPROVED  METHODS. 

While  the  Superintendent  is  to  be  commended  for  his  efforts  to  keep 
detailed  accounts  of  his  expenditures,  his  accounting  system  still  needs  im- 
provement. Accounts  should  be  kept  and  budget  estimates  prepared  accord- 
ing to  a  general  budget  classification.  The  expenditures  for  the  improve- 
ment and  maintenance  of  special  park  plots  should  be  charged  not  to  those 
plots,  but  to  the  appropriate  functions  of  the  service,  no  matter  what  particular 
piece  of  ground  they  happen  to  effect. 

TRANSFER  OF  FUNDS  FROM  WATER  DEPARTMENT. 

The  ordinance  of  March  20,  1893,  transferring  the  Mineral  Springs  prop- 
erty from  the  Water  Department  to  the  Park  Department  contains  a  clause 
which  states  that  "the  funds  necessary  for  the  repairing  and  maintenance  of 
said  property  shall  be  taken  from  the  Department  of  Water."  This  is  an 
unnecessarily   roundabout   method   of   securing   funds   for   the   operation   and 


PARK   DEPARTMENT  187 


maintenance  of  park  property.  So  long  as  the  Department  of  Parks  has 
charge  of  this  property,  the  funds  necessary  for  it  should  be  appropriated 
directly  through  the  department  responsible  for  park  service  and  not  trans- 
ferred from  other  funds. 

APPROPRIATIONS  FOR  PUBLIC  CONCERTS  SHOULD  BE  MADE. 

The  Department's  appropriation  has  never  included  any  provision  for 
public  concerts;  those  that  have  been  given  have  been  paid  for  by  voluntary 
subscriptions.  .Last  year  $717.29  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Park  Super- 
intendent for  this  purpose.  As  these  concerts  are  properly  a  part  of  the 
park  service,,  their  cost  should  be  included  as  a  regular  item  in  the  budget 
estimate  prepared  by  the  Department. 

REVENUE 

RENTALS  AND  CONCESSIONS. 

The  Department  receives  revenue  from  three  sources  only.  The  hotel 
at  Mineral  Springs  Park  is  rented  at  $25.00  a  month,  the  caretaker's  house  at 
Mineral  Springs  at  $1.00  a  month,  and  a  small  amount  ($48.26  in  1913)  is 
received  from  the  sale  of  timber  cut  on  park  property. 

The  Superintendent  suggests  that  additional  revenue  could  be  obtained 
renting  the  pagoda  as  an  inner  refreshment  station.  If  this  is  done,  the  rent 
should  include  the  cost  of  the  water  supply  and  other  improvements  which 
the  city  has  installed.  In  general,  park  concessions  should  be  granted  only 
after  careful  consideration  of  their  effect  on  the  cost  of  park  maintenance 
and  of  the  profit  the  concessionaires  will  probably  make.  No  concessions 
that  will  permit  the  sale  of  intoxicants  on  park  property  should  be  granted. 

PURCHASE  AND  PROVISION  OF  SUPPLIES 
AND  EQUIPMENT 

SUPPLIES  AND   EQUIPMENT  CONTROLLED   BY 
SUPERINTENDENT 

The  Superintendent  purchases  all  necessary  supplies  on  orders  issued 
by  the  City  Clerk.  This  forces  the  Superintendent  to  make  the  half  mile 
trip  to  the  City  Hall  whenever  he  wants  to  make  a  purchase.  The  Super- 
intendent states  that  it  is  his  practice  never  to  make  purchases  over  $50.00, 
until  he  has  sent  personal  letters  to  dealers  asking  for  estimates. 

When  bills  are  sent  to  the  Superintendent,  he  certifies  them  as  correct 
and  submits  them  to  the  Board  for  approval.  They  are  then  taken  to  the 
City  Clerk's  office  and  checked  against  the  stubs  of  the  original  order. 

The  Superintendent  keeps  control  personally  of  all  supplies  and  equip- 
ment, and  allows  no  supplies  to  be  issued  except  through  him.  All  worn  or 
broken  implements  are  returned  to  him  before  new  ones  are  issued. 

As  the  methods  to  be  employed  in  the  purchase  and  provision  of  supplies 
and  equipment  for  all  city  departments  are  taken  up  in  detail  in  another 
section  of  this   report,  they  are  not  commented  on  here. 


i88  PARK   DEPARTMENT 


AUTOMOBILE  NEEDED  FOR  SUPERINTENDENT. 

At  present  the  Superintendent  uses  a  horse  and  buggy  in  making  his 
tours  of  supervision  and  inspection.  He  states  that  it  takes  him  half  a  day 
to  make  a  tour  of  the  park  property  in  this  way.  The  city  would  save  time 
and  money  by  furnishing  him  with  a  small  automobile. 


PROVISION  OF  BUILDINGS 

TOILET  FACILITIES  LACKING. 

Lack  of  proper  toilet  facilities  is  the  chief  defect  noted  in  the  park 
buildings.  The  only  toilet  or  comfort  station  on  park  property  within  the 
city  limits  is  situated  near  the  entrance  to  Penn's  Common.  It  is  not  con- 
nected with  the  sewer.  It  is  a  most  unsanitary  affair.  Although  the  Super- 
intendent states  that  it  is  frequently  cleaned,  it  is  always  a  foul  smelling 
place.  This  one  building  is  divided  into  two  compartments  by  a  double 
wooden  partition  and  is  used  by  both  men  and  women.  The  two  toilets  at 
the  Mineral  Spring  Park  are  in  the  same  condition.  In  this  section,  however, 
no  sewer  connection  could  be  made. 

Wherever  it  is  possible  the  toilets  should  be  connected  with  city  sewers, 
as  the  law  provides.  Separate  toilets  or  comfort  stations,  one  for  women 
and  one  for  men,  should  be  provided  in  Penn's  Common,  at  places  that 
can  be  reached  easily  from  the  most  popular  sections  of  the  park.  These 
comfort  stations  should  be  models  of  sanitation;  if  sewers  are  not  easily 
accessible,  pipe  lines  for  the  necessary  connections  should  be  laid.  In 
Mineral  Spring  Park  as  well,  separate  toilets  for  men  and  women  should  be 
provided,  which  should  be  kept  in  as  good  condition  as  possible  without  sewer 
connections. 


MAINTENANCE  OF  PARK  PROPERTIES 

IMPROVEMENT  OF  PRESENT  PARK  PROPERTY. 

The  Park  Department  should,  for  some  time  to  come,  aim  at  improving 
the  property  now  owned  by  the  city  rather  than  at  acquiring  more  land. 
Reading's  present  park  space  is  ample.  The  park  property  within  the  city 
limits  amounts  to  94  acres.  Outside  the  city  limits  and  including  the  greater 
part  of  the  Mineral  Spring  property,  the  city  owns  149  acres,  giving  a  total 
park  area  of  about  243  acres. 

BAER  PARK  SHOULD  BE  IMPROVED. 

Much  of  the  land  under  the  control  of  the  Park  Department  still  remains 
undeveloped.  This  is  as  is  should  be,  for  the  attractiveness  of  much  of 
the  park  property  lies  in  its  wildness  and  ruggedness.  The  land  should  be 
left  as  it  is  now  until  the  need  for  formal  cultivation  arises.  The  Baer  Park 
plot  of  nine  acres  should  be  treated  differently.  It  is  situated  near  the  river 
bank,  and  is  in  an  unimproved  section  of  the  city  that  will  not  be  built  up 


PARK    DEPARTMENT  189 


closely  enough  for  several  years  to  warrant  turning  this  tract  into  a  formal 
park.  It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that  it  be  developed  as  a  city  play- 
ground and  athletic  field.  Several  plans  for  the  development  of  Baer  Park 
have  been  drawn,  but  apparantly  no  use  has  been  made  of  them. 

BETTER  POLICING  OF  PARKS  NEEDED. 

There  are  two  police  officers  on  regular  duty  at  Penn's  Common,  and 
one  extra  officer  is  employed  during  the  summer.  At  Mineral  Springs  only 
one  officer  is  employed,,  although  this  park  comprises  56  acres,  the  greater 
part  of  which  is  woodland.  Two  police  officers  are  needed  here  during  the 
summer  months. 

BOULEVARD  SHOULD  BE  POLICED. 

The  park  rules  require  that  "no  person  shall  ride  or  drive  on  Penn's 
Common  at  a  rate  exceeding  seven  miles  an  hour."  As  no  way  is  provided 
for  enforcing  this  regulation  on  the  boulevard,  automobiles  are  driven  along 
it  at  a  rate  far  above  seven  miles.  This  should  be  prevented,  as  the  road  is 
only  a  dirt  road,  which  is  very  hard  to  keep  in  order  on  account  of  the  heavy 
rains.  The  boulevard  should  be  policed  by  a  mounted  officer  who  could  see 
that  the  legal  limit  was   observed. 

MAINTENANCE  OF  ROADS  NOT  A  PARK  FUNCTION. 

Park  roads  are  now  repaired  and  maintained  by  the  Park   Department. 
'     The  work  of  constructing  and  maintaining  roads  in  all  city  property,  whatever 
its  nature,  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  bureau  of  highways. 

PARK  LIGHTING  INADEQUATE. 

During  the  summer  Penn's  Common  is  inadequately  lighted,  as  the  arc 
lights  that  are  used  do  not  penetrate  the  thick  foliage.  To  remedy  this,  the 
superintendent,  at  the  expense  of  the  Park  Department,  has  put  six  gasoline 
street  lamps  on  unusually  dark  spots.  It  is  recommended  that  the  low  incan- 
descent lamps  be  used  for  lighting  Penn's  Common. 

RECORDS  OF  PLANTING  AND  REMOVAL  OF  TREES,  SHRUBS, 
ETC.,  NOT  KEPT. 

No  records  are  available  to  show  how  many  trees  or  shrubs  are  planted, 
how  many  die  and  how  many  are  removed  each  year.  As  a  basis  for  esti- 
mating the  cost  of  maintenance  of  trees  and  shrubs,  full  records  of  these 
matters  should  be  kept. 

TREES  SHOULD   BE  LABELED. 

Trees  in  Penn's  Common  should  be  labeled  with  their  botanical  and  com- 
mon names.  This  would  require  but  little  work  and  slight  expense,,  and  would 
interest  and  instruct  almost  everyone. 


19  PARK    DEPARTMENT 


CARE  OF  LAWNS,  TREES,  ETC. 

At  the  present  time  the  lawns,  trees  and  shrubs  on  park  property  are  in 
excellent  condition.  The  Park  Superintendent  states,  however,  that  in  dry 
seasons  it  is  difficult  to  keep  things  green,  because  the  water  is  insufficient. 
Pipe  lines  should  be  laid  to  furnish  an  adequate  water  supply  wherever  it  is 
needed. 

CARE  OF  TREES  IN  CITY  STREETS. 

The  care  and  protection  of  the  trees  in  city  streets  are  supposed  to  be 
part  of  the  Police  Department's  work.  Almost  any  of  Reading's  streets 
affords  sufficient  evidence  that  this  work  is  very  ineffectively  done.  Reading 
should  be  proud  of  its  shade  trees  and  should  make  every  effort  to  keep  them 
alive  and  in  good  condition.  It  is  recommended  that  the  Park  Department 
be  made  responsible  for  this  service,  and  be  furnished  with  sufficient  funds 
and  force  to  do  the  work  properly. 

MAINTENANCE  OF  THE  ZOOLOGICAL  GARDEN. 

Although  there  is  no  question  about  the  educational  value  of  the  Zoologi- 
cal Garden  at  Mineral  Springs  Park,  no  further  effort  should  be  made  to  add 
to  the  collection  unless  different  arrangements  can  be  made  for  quartering 
the  animals.  The  runways  for  deer  and  elk  are  too  limited;  in  their  present 
location,  however,  more  space  cannot  conveniently  be  given.  It  is  suggested 
that  part  of  the  pool  now  in  use  for  a  few  waterfowl  be  filled  in  and  that 
the  garden  be  placed  on  this  new  ground.  This  would  give  increased  space 
for  the  cages  and  runways. 


PUBLICITY 

ANNUAL  REPORT  NOT  PUBLISHED. 

No  annual  report  of  the  work  of  the  Park  Department  has  been  published. 
The  superintendent  states  that  he  submits  a  report  to  the  Board  for  its  infor- 
mation; aside  from  this  no  information  has  been  required  or  given.  A  full 
report  of  the  service  rendered  by  this  department  should  be  published,  if  only 
for  the  sake  of  the  increased  co-operation  that  would  follow  increased  knowl- 
edge of  the  department's  work.  The  superintendent  should  make  monthly 
reports  in  order  that  the  Council  may  know  what  emergency  measures  should 
be  passed  to  provide  for  emergency  needs.  He  should  also  prepare  an 
annual  report,  as  a  summary  of  work  he  has  done  and  as  a  basis  for  esti- 
mating the  efficiency  of  the  service. 


Weiler's  Printing  House    <smzmPc>   440  CourtlSt.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  SEVEN 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Fire 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

DECEMBER,  1913 

10  CENTS 


C  ONTENTS 


Page 

Summary    of    Criticisms    and    Constructive    Suggestions,    all    of    which 

may  be  Immediately  Adopted  by  Council 195-203 

Organization   and   Administration 204 

Service  Conditions  and  Welfare  of  the  Force 210 

The  Work  of  the  Department — Prevention  and  Extinguishing  of  Fires  217 

Fire   Alarm   and  Telegraph   System 225 

Business   Management    229 

Records  and   Reports 229 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  195 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND 
CONSTRUCTIVE   SUGGESTIONS 


The  following  report  of  a  survey  of  the  Fire  Department  is  the  result 
of  a  careful  examination  of  the  records  of  the  Department,,  and  interviews 
with  officials,  supplemented  by  observations  of  procedure  at  fire  houses  and 
a  held  study.  The  study  was  greatly  facilitated  by  the  Chief  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Volunteer  Fire  Department,  who  co-operated  in  every  way 
possible. 

SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

1.  Establishment    of    a    fully    paid    fire    service    with    a    total    force    of 

in    men. 

2.  Organization   of   the    department    with    the    Superintendent    of    Public 

Safety  as  the  administrative  head  and  the  chief  as  its  executive  head. 

3.  The    selection    and    promotion    of    all    members    of    the    department 

through    competitive   civil    service    examination. 

4.  That  preference  in  appointments  be  given  to  members  of  the  volun- 

teer service  in  accordance  with  the  number  of  actual  fires  attended 
by  them. 

5.  That  the  department  maintain  a  photograph  of  each  member. 

6.  The  immediate  establishment  of  a  training  school  for  firemen.     This 

school    to    be    established    and    maintained    regardless    of    whether 
a  paid  service  is   organized. 

7.  Improvement   of  methods   of  discipline. 

8.  Establishment  of  definite  procedure  governing  trial  and  punishment 

of  members  of  the  fire  department. 

9.  That    firemen    be    paid    $780   during    the    first    year,   $840   during    the 

second,  and  $900  during  third  and  succeeding  years. 

10.  Designation  of  a  department  surgeon. 

11.  Establishing  a  board   of  honor. 

12.  The  remodeling  of  present  fire  houses   so  as   to  provide  comfortable 

dormitories. 

13.  Establishing  an  equitable  pension   system. 

14.  Inauguration    of    a    fire    prevention    campaign    and    the    appointment 

of  a  fire  prevention  commission.     Plan  for  a  ''clean  up*'  week. 

15.  The   immediate  adoption   of  a  building  code. 

16.  A  revision   of  the  ordinances  governing  the  sale,  storage   and  trans- 

portation of  all  combustibles,  explosives  and  imflammable  materials. 

17.  The  licensing  of  all  places  where  kerosene  and  other  illuminating  oils 

are  sold. 


196 FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

18.  Establishment  of  a  department  repair  shop. 

19.  A  revision  of  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  department. 

20.  The  scientific  testing  of  all  hose. 

21.  Providing    additional    minor    equipment    to    ladder    trucks    and    hose 

wagons. 

22.  The  purchase  of  a  portable  searchlight. 

23.  Providing  all  firemen  with  rubber  coats,  boots,  fire  helmets  and  belts. 

24.  Transferring  the  ambulance  service  to  the  hospitals  and  making  them 

subject  to  call  of  police  department. 

25.  Furnishing  fire  houses  with  maps  and  charts. 

26.  Daily  company  drills  should  be  held. 

27.  Placing  of  fire  alarm  wires  in  congested  part  of  city  underground. 

28.  Placing  of  fire  alarm  central  switchboards  in  fire  resisting  building. 

29.  Establishing    a    fire    department    telephone    system    with    a    central 

switchboard   at  headquarters. 

30.  Placing  of  red  lights   over  all  fire  boxes. 

31.  Establishing  proper  records  and  reports  for  the  bureau  of  fire  alarm 

and  telegraph  service. 

32.  Furnishing  maps  and  charts  of  fire  alarm  system. 

33-    That  the  business  management  of  the  department  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Safety. 

34.  Purchase  of  all  supplies  through  central  purchasing  agency. 

35.  Establishing  a  committee  for  the  selector!  of  fire  apparatus. 

36.  Installation  of  a  proper  system  of  records  and  reports  for  the  entire 

department. 

37.  Preparation  of  an  efficient  annual  report. 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  FULLY  PAID  FIRE  SERVICE  IS 
RECOMMENDED. 

Reading's  volunteer  firemen  have  served  the  city  faithfully  and  without 
remuneration  for  many  years.  They  have  been  enthusiastic  in  their  endeavor 
to  protect  the  city  against  conflagration.  They  have  been  unselfish  in  their 
devotion  to  the  department  of  which  they  are  members.  The  city  has  been 
fortunate  in  the  past  in  having  had  only  one  period  of  bad  fires  and  has  not 
to  this  time  suffered  a  high  percentage  of  loss.  But,  Reading  has  grown 
and  its  growth  is  continuing.  It  is  not  only  growing  in  importance  as  a  rail- 
road and  manufacturing  center,  in  population,  in  number  of  buildings,  in 
number  of  homes,  etc.,  but  as  in  other  growing  cities,  the  fire  risk  also  is 
increasing. 

While  the  volunteer  organization  has  increased  in  numbers  and  the  city 
has  purchased  modern  and  up-to-date  apparatus,  the  firemen  have  not  re- 
ceived scientific  training  in  fire  fighting  and  fire  prevention  and  without 
such  training  numbers  of  men  and  modern  apparatus  would  be  of  little  avail 
in  event'  of  a  conflagration. 

Reading  through  its  civic  agencies  is  inviting  within  its  city  limits 
large  mercantile  industries  and  new  residents,  which  will  mean  more  factories 
and  more  homes,  but  with  all  of  these  increased  buildings  comes  an  increased 
responsibility  in  the  matter  of  fire  protection.  Reading  cannot  hope  to  fur- 
nish this  protection  through  a  volunteer  service.  Therefore,  it  is  recom- 
mended that  Council  take  steps  to  establish  a  fully  paid  fire  service  for  the  city. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 197 

COST  OF  FULLY  PAID  SERVICE 

For  the  operation  and  maintenance  of  a  fully  paid  fire  depart- 
ment Council  will  have  to  appropriate  annually  about $120,000.00 

During  the  fiscal  year  1913-1914  the  city  appropriated  to  the 
volunteer   service    for   operation   and    maintenance    approximate!}-        63,000.00 


or  an  increase  in  the  annual  appropriation  of $57,000.00 

if  the  paid  department  plan  is  adopted. 

The  above  amounts  are  exclusive  of  appropriations  for  new  apparatus, 
etc..  for  which  the  city  must  pay  in  any  event. 

With  the  increased  appropriation  of  $57,000  per  annum  must  necessarily 
come  increased  efficiency,  a  reduction  in  fire  insurance  rates,  and  "he  end 
of  the  indirect  tax  upon  the  community  for  fire  protection  through  the  sale 
of  tickets  for  bazaars  and  entertainments  and  the  money  paid  by  employers 
to  their  employees  for  working  time  lost  when  responding  to  alarms  of  fire. 
In  addition  to  this,  the  invitation  to  prospective  mercantile  industries  desiring 
to  establish  their  plants  in  Reading  will  carry  with  it  the  guarantee  of  efficient 
protection  against  loss  by  fire  through  the  agency  of  a  properly  trained,  fully 
paid  fire  i  »rvice. 

A  UNIFORMED  FORCE  OF  1  1  j  MEN  RECOMMENDED. 

The  present  plan  of  organization  of  the  volunteer  service  is  productive 
of  inefficiency  and  a  lack  of  discipline.  The  plan  of  organization  recom- 
mended is  a  uniformed  force  of  11 1  men  with  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Safety  as  its  administrative  head.  The  force  would  be  under  the  executive 
direction  of  a  chief  to  whom  two  assistant  or  district  chiefs  would  report 
directly.  The  Fire  houses  would  be  in  charge  of  12  captains  with  12  lieuten- 
ants as  second  in  command.  There  would  be  6  engineers  and  77  firemen 
from  whom  the  drivers,  stokers  and  tillermen  would  be  selected.  A  chief 
mechanic   and   instructor   would   complete   the    organization. 

COMPENSATION   OF  THE   UNIFORMED   FORCE. 

The  following  is  the  recommended  schedule  of  salaries  to  be  paid 
annually  to  the  members  of  a  paid  fire  department: 

1   Chief    $2,000.00 

j  Assistant    Chiefs    (6    $1,500 3,000.00 

1   Chief  Mechanic   and   Instructor 1,200.00 

12  Captains  @  $1.200 14,400.00 

12    Lieutenants    (a    $1.020 12.240.00 

6  Engineers  (a,  $900   5,400.00 

77  Firemen    (a    780 60,060.00 

in  Men    $98,300.00 

The  salaries  recommended  are  based  on  an  analysis  of  the  salaries  paid 
to  firemen  in  97  cities  of  the  United  States.  The  minimum  salary  of  firemen 
stated  above  should  be  increased  at  the  rate  of  $60.00  a  year  until  the  third 
year  of  service  is  reached  when  the  maximum  salary  of  $900  per  annum 
should  be  paid. 


198  FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


SELECTION  AND  PROMOTION  THROUGH   COMPETITIVE 
CIVIL  SERVICE  EXAMINATION. 

The  members  of  the  voluteer  service  are  selected  upon  a  social  basis 
regardless  of  their  qualifications.  The  members  of  a  paid  service  should  be 
selected  as  a  result  of  competitive  civil  service  physical  and  mental  tests. 
Their  selection  should  be  upon  merit  alone  and  political  influence  of  any  kind 
should  not  be  permitted  to  affect  the  selection  or  promotion  of  members 
of  the  department. 

VOLUNTEERS  SHOULD  BE  GIVEN  PREFERENCE  IN 
APPOINTMENTS. 

Preference  in  the  civil  service  examination  should  be  shown  to  members 
of  the  present  volunteer  service  in  accordance  with  the  number  of  fires  actually 
attended  by  them,  by  giving  special  weights  for  experience. 

EACH   MEMBER  SHOULD  BE  PHOTOGRAPHED   FOR  PURPOSES 
OF  IDENTIFICATION. 

The  department  should  have  on  file  a  photograph  of  each  fireman. 


TRAINING  SCHOOL  FOR  FIREMEN  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED. 

New  and  modern  fire  lighting  apparatus  has  been  purchased  and  installed 
and  the  membership  of  the  volunteer  organization  increased  to  more  than 
5,000,  but  the  efficiency  of  the  force  has  not  increased  to  a  degree  commen- 
surate with  the  city's  needs.  Thus  the  community  has  not  availed  itself  of 
the  most  improved  methods  of  fire  extinguishment  and  no  effort  has  been 
made  at  lire  prevention.  The  firemen  have  not  been  trained  to  the  best 
practices  either  in  fire  extinguishment  or  in  fire  prevention.  This  lack  of 
training  has  brought  with  it  a  lack  of  discipline  and  in  these  two  respects 
the  present  volunteer  service  may  be  said  to  be  weakened. 

The  need  for  the  scientific  training  of  firemen  whether  volunteer  or 
paid,  is  no  longer  disputed.  The  most  modern  methods,  employed  in  the 
training  of  fire  fighters  are  outlined  and  recommended  including  the  im- 
mediate establishment  of  a  training  tower  and  school  for  firemen  regardless 
of  whether  a  paid  service  is  established  or  not. 


IMPROVEMENT  OF  METHODS  OF  DISCIPLINE. 

The  present  plan  of  organization  has  destroyed  any  chance  of  securing 
the  enforcement  of  discipline  at  fires.  Not  alone  is  the  absence  of  training 
responsible  for  this  lack  of  discipline,  but  because  the  officers  who  are  to 
discipline  are  selected  by  the  membership  upon  a  social  basis  and  their 
official  rank  is  subject  to  the  will  and  whim  of  their  subordinates.  Whether 
the  plan  of  organization  proposed  for  a  paid  service  is  accepted  or  not,  the 
present  plan  of  organization  of  the  volunteer  service  should  be  changed  in 
the  interests  of  better  discipline. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 199 

PROCEDURE  GOVERNING  TRIALS  AND  PUNISHMENT  OF 
FIREMEN 

The  adoption  of  an  ordinance  outlining  and  defining  the  plan  of  pro- 
cedure for  punishing  delinquent  firemen  is  recommended.  Such  an  ordinance 
should  apply  to  members  of  a  voluteer  organization  as  well  as  to  those  of 
a  paid  department. 

THE  DESIGNATION  OF  A  DEPARTMENT  SURGEON. 

Provisions  should  be  made  in  the  ordinance  creating  a  new  department, 
either  for  the  designation  of  a  department  surgeon  who  shall  be  entitled. 
'"Surgeon  of  the  Department  of  Public  Safety,"  and  serve  for  the  bureau  of 
police  as  well  as  fire  or  the  health  officer  of  the  city  should  be  required  to 
serve  as  surgeon  to  the  department.  The  ordinance  should  provide  also 
that  firemen  when  on  sick  leave  should  only  receive  half  pay,  this  reduction 
in  pay  not  to  apply  to  illness  resulting  from  injury  received  in  the  per- 
formance of  duty. 

ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A  BOARD  OF  HONOR. 

No  meritorious  act  of  bravery  should  go  unrewarded  by  the  depart- 
ment. The  establishment  of  a  board  of  honor  which  shall  award  annually  a 
gold  medal  for  distinguished  acts  of  bravery  involving  a  risk  of  life  is 
recommended. 

PROVIDING  DORMITORIES  IN   FIRE  HOUSES. 

Without  much  additional  expense  the  present  fire  houses  can  be  re- 
modeled so  as  to  fit  them  for  service  of  a  paid  department.  The  parlors 
of  these  houses  can  easily  be  equipped  as  dormitories. 

ESTABLISHING  AN  EQUITABLE  PENSION  SYSTEM. 

Council  should  provide  for  the  establishment  of  an  equitable  pension 
system  for  both  firemen  and  policemen.  Before  such  a  system  is  inaugurated 
it  is  suggested  that  a  study  be  made  so  as  to  provide  a  system  which  will 
protect  the  interests  of  the  city,  provide  for  a  reserve  fund  and  proper  con- 
tributions  and  provide   both   service   and   disability   pensions. 

A   FIRE   PREVENTION   CAMPAIGN   SHOULD   BE   INAUGURATED 
AND  A   BUILDING  CODE  ADOPTED. 

The  need  for  immediate  fire  prevention  inspections  coupled  with  im- 
provements in  building  construction,  the  adoption  of  a  building  code  and 
the  erection  of  additional  fire  escapes  is  evident  everywhere  in  the  city. 
The  failure  of  the  city  to  conduct  such  inspection  and  to  provide  a  building 
code  has  resulted  in  increasing  the  fire  risk  of  the  city  by  the  erection  of 
many  buildings  of  a  hazardous  type. 

An  inspection  tour  of  the  theatres  of  the  city  showed  not  only  a  total 
disregard  in  some  theatres  for  the  most  obvious  and  fundamental  fire  pre- 
vention   measures,    but    likewise    an    absolute    failure    upon    the    part    of    the 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 


officials  responsible  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  law  governing  the  con- 
struction of  theatres  and  requiring  that  theatres  shall  properly  safeguard 
their  audiences  against  injury  to  life  and  limb  in  fires  and  panics.  Conditions 
found  existing  in  theatres  are  cited  in  the  report. 

FIRE  PREVENTION  COMMISSION  SHOULD  BE  CREATED. 

The  establishment  of  a  fire  prevention  commission  to  consist  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Safety,  the  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department,  the 
Building  Inspector,  and  two  private  citizens  is  recommended.  Council  is 
urged  to  adopt  an  ordinance  empowering  this  commission  to  create  rules 
and  regulations  governing  fire  prevention  and  to  promulgate  and  enforce 
same.  In  the  event  of  the  city  failing  to  establish  a  paid  service,  this  com- 
mission should  be  empowered  to  appoint  at  least  three  inspectors  to  enforce 
their  regulations. 

BETTER  CONTROL  OF  PLACES  SELLING  AND  STORING 
EXPLOSIVES. 

The  present  law  governing  the  sale,  storage  and  transportation  of  ex- 
plosives, combustibles  and  inflammables  is  wholly  inadequate  and  affords  no 
protection  to  the  city.  The  adoption  of  an  ordinance  providing  rigid  rules 
and  regulations  governing  the  handling  of  explosives  is  recommended  and 
the  licensing  of  all  cleaning  establishments  using  benzine,  naptha,  gasoline, 
etc.,  and  all  stores  selling  kerosene  and  other  illuminating  oils  is  suggested. 

THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  A   DEPARTMENT  REPAIR  SHOP. 

Tn  the  interests  of  efficiency  and  economy  the  establishment  of  a  de- 
partment repair  shop  is  desirable.  This  shop  should  be  equipped  with  the 
necessary  machinery  to  enable  the  chief  mechanic  not  only  to  make  the 
necessary  repairs  to  the  apparatus  and  equipment  but  likewise  to  manufacture 
minor  equipment.  Considerable  delay  could  be  avoided  and  money  saved 
by  a  properly  conducted  repair  shop.  To  equip  such  a  shop  an  expenditure 
of  about  $5,000  would   be   required. 

REVISION  OF  THE  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS. 

The  volunteer  department  is  at  present  governed  by  a  set  of  regulations 
or  by-laws  promulgated  by  the  Firemen's  Union.  These  rules  and  regula- 
tions are  inadequate.  In  the  event  of  the  establishment  of  a  paid  depart- 
ment the  chief  should  promulgate  a  complete  set  of  rules  and  regulations 
governing  the  conduct  of  the  force  both  in  firehouses  and  at  fires.  The 
rules  should  prohibit  employees  of  the  department  from  becoming  members 
of  political  clubs  and  subscribing  to  or  collecting  money  for  campaign  funds. 

SCIENTIFIC  TESTING  OF  HOSE  RECOMMENDED. 

The  lack  of  scientific  methods  of  testing  the  hose  purchased  and  used 
by  the  department  may  be  responsible  for  the  condition  in  which  much  of 
the  hose  was  found,  as  demonstrated  by  the  number  of  hose  bursts  at  one 
fire  observed.     The  need  for  proper  testing  of  hose  both  from  the  point  of 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  201 

view  of  economy  as  well  as  efficiency,  is  obvious.     The  equipment  suggested 
for  the   repair   shop   would   provide   the   necessary   apparatus   for   the   testing 

of  hose. 

NEED  FOR  PORTABLE  SEARCHLIGHT. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  lack  of  considerable  minor  equipment  on  the 
ladder  trucks  and  hose  wagons  and  particularly  to  the  absence  of  any  search- 
light, portable  or  otherwise.  The  purchase  by  the  city  of  a  portable  search- 
light for  use  at  night  fires  and  the  equipment  of  all  ladder  trucks  with  the 
ordinary  acetylene  torches  is   recommended, 

RUBBER  EQUIPMENT  FOR  FIREMEN. 

The  city  should  provide  the  firemen  with  their  rubber  coats,  boots,  fire 
helmets  and  belts.  The  uniforms,,  however,  should  be  provided  by  the 
members  themselves.  The  initial  cost  of  providing  the  new  paid  force  with 
the   rubber  equipment  is   estimated  at  $2,000. 

AMBULANCE  SERVICE  SHOULD  BE  UNDER  THE  POLICE. 

The  two  ambulances  now  maintained  by  the  city  but  controlled  by  the 
respective  fire  companies  operating  them,  should  be  transferred  to  hospitals 
and  operated  under  the  control  of  the  police  department.  The  management 
of  this  ambulance  service  is  in  no  sense  a  function  of  the  fire  department 
and  the  records  in  connection  with  them  are  of  no  value.  It  is  of  importance 
that  a  call  for  an  ambulance  should  bring  with  it  a  physician.  It  is  more 
important  that  medical  aid  be  furnished  promptly  than  it  is  that  a  wagon 
be  furnished  to  carry  the  injured  person  away.  While  it  is  true  that  these 
two  ambulances  are  practically  owned  by  the  fire  company,  yet  it  is  equally 
true  that  they  were  donated  for  the  public  good.  They  should  be  placed 
at  the  disposal  of  the  public  in  a  manner  to  insure  their  maximum  usefulness. 
This  would  best  be  accomplished  by  having  them  located  at  the  hospitals 
and  subject  to  call  through  the  police  department.  Proper  records  con- 
cerning the  activities  of  these  ambulances  should  be  maintained. 

FIRE  HOUSES  SHOULD  BE  EQUIPPED  WITH  MAPS  AND  CHARTS 

Familiarity  with  the  property  to  be  protected  is  essential  to  efficiency 
in  fire  fighting.  To  develop  familiarity  with  property  and  the  interior  of  the* 
buildings  it  is  suggested  that  each  fire  house  should  be  equipped  with  maps 
and  charts  furnishing  detailed  information  concerning  the  structures  which 
the  firemen  may  some  day  have  to  enter  for  the  purpose  of  fire  extinguish- 
ment. Each  house  should  have  a  map  showing  the  location  of  the  water 
mains,  hydrants,  water  gates,  etc.,  similar  to  the  map  now  in  most  houses 
except  that  the  information  contained  thereon  should  be  kept  up  to  date. 

DAILY   COMPANY  FIRE  DRILLS. 

Because  of  the  nature  of  the  firemen's  work  it  is  difficult  to  provide 
sufficient  exercise  to  keep  the  members  in  good  physical  condition.  Thus 
it  is  necessary  that  the  captain  of  each  company  conduct  a  daily  drill.     When 


202 FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY. 

the  weather  permits  this  drill  should  consist  of  training  on  the  apparatus. 
In  inclement  weather  it  should  consist  of  setting  up  exercises  and  gymnastic 
feats   which   do   not   involve   the   use   of   apparatus. 

FIRE  ALARM  WIRES  SHOULD  BE  PLACED  UNDERGROUND. 

Overhead  fire  alarm  telegraph  wires  in  the  congested  mercantile  district 
of  a  city  are  declared  to  be  a  menace  and  Council  is  urged  to  place  these 
wires  underground  as  soon  as  possible.  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact  that 
there  are  three  miles  of  ducts  which  are  available  for  this  purpose. 

FIRE  ALARM  SWITCHBOARD  MUST  BE  TRANSFERRED  TO 
FIRE  RESISTING  BUILDING. 

The  central  station  of  the  fire  alarm  system  of  the  city  is  in  danger  of 
destruction  by  fire,  owing  to  the  hazardous  conditions  of  the  room  in  which 
the  fire  alarm  switchboards  are  now  housed.  Council  should  appropriate 
funds  to  the  amount  of  $2,000  for  the  construction  of  a  concrete  fire  resisting 
two  story  building  in  which  to  house  the  fire   alarm  system. 

NEED  FOR  A  CENTRAL  TELEPHONE  SYSTEM.  ^ 

A  central  fire  department  telephone  system  connecting  all  of  the  fire  houses 
should  be  installed.  Many  of  the  telephones  now  in  use  in  the  fire  houses 
are  unavailable  for  use  at  times  because  they  are  on  party  lines.  A  delay  in 
the  transmission  of  an  alarm  because  of  this  system  may  some  day  result  in 
a  conflagration.  The  continuance  of  this  S}rstem  can  only  be  called  false 
economy. 

RED  LIGHTS  SHOULD  BE  PLACED  OVER  ALL  FIRE  BOXES. 

While  the  distribution  of  the  fire  alarm  boxes  in  the  congested  value 
district  may  be  said  to  be  good,  and  the  distribution  in  the  outlying  sections 
fairly  good,,  it  is  however  essential  that  red  lights  be  placed  over  the  fire 
alarm  boxes   so  as  to  indicate  their  location  at  night. 

FIRE  ALARM  RECORDS  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED. 

The  establishment  of  a  proper  system  of  records  and  reports  for  the 
bureau  of  fire  alarm  and  telegraph  and  the  furnishing  of  that  division  with 
maps  and  charts  indicating  the  location  of  all  fire  alarm  boxes,  conduits, 
overhead  wires,  etc.,  is  recommended. 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  PUBLIC  SAFETY  RESPONSIBLE  FOR 
BUSINESS   MANAGEMENT. 

The  business  management  of  the  department  should  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Safety.  All  supplies  should  be  pur- 
chased through  the  central  purchasing  agency.  A  definite  procedure  should 
be  followed  in  the  purchasing  of  supplies  and  the  requisitioning  of  them  by 
the  respective  fire  companies.  This  provision  should  apply  whether  the 
department  is  a  paid  or  volunteer  force. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT— SUMMARY.  .  203 

FIRE  APPARATUS   SHOULD   BE  SELECTED   CAREFULLY. 

In  order  that  only  the  best  type  of  apparatus  may  be  selected  for  the 
use  of  the  department  it  is  recommended  that  the  selection  of  apparatus 
be  placed  jointly  in  the  hands  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Safety  and 
the  chief  of  the  department,  subject  to  the  approval  of  Council. 

ESTABLISHING   A    PROPER    SYSTEM    OF    RECORDS    AND 
REPORTS. 

Except  for  the  records  kept  by  the  chief  of  the  department,  there  are 
no  adequate  records  maintained  by  the  voluteer  department.  Each  company 
maintains  its  records  as  it  chooses  and  they  are  not  available  for  statistical 
purposes.  A  complete  set  of  records  and  reports  and  a  plan  of  reporting 
should  be   established   immediately. 

ANNUAL  REPORT. 

The  annual  report  as  now  prepared  is  of  no  administrative  value.  A  form 
of  report  is  recommended  which  will  be  a  guide  to  Council  in  legislating 
for  the  department  and  will  supply  information  which  will  determine  the 
efriciencv  or  inefficiencv  of  the  force. 


204  '  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


CRITICISMS   AND    CONSTRUCTIVE   SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ORGANIZATION,  ADMINISTRATION    SER- 
VICE   CONDITIONS,    PREVENTION    AND 
EXTINGUISHING    OF    FIRES 


ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION 

DEPARTMENT  A  VOLUNTEER   ORGANIZATION. 

Reading,  with  a  population  of  more  than  100,000,  important  as  a  railroac 
centre,,  with  a  congested  mercantile  district,  housing  many  industrial  enter-; 
prises,  with  conditions  in  certain  sections  hazardous  in  the  extreme,  is  stil 
depending   for   fire   protection    upon   a   volunteer   fire   department. 

Of  the  27  cities  in  the  United  States  having  a  population  between  80,00a 
and  130,000,  only  two  still  have  volunteer  fire  departments  and  Reading  is 
one   of  them. 

It  costs  less  in  salaries  and  wages  to  run  a  fire  department  on  a  volunteer 
basis,  even  when  on  the  average  one  out  of  every  three  families  in  the  cityl 
has  a  membership  in  the  organization,  as  is  the  case  in  Reading,  but  this- 
does  not  mean  that  it  is  economical.  Reading  has  been  fortunate  in  the* 
past  in  having  had  only  one  period  of  bad  fires  and  has  not  to  this  time, 
suffered  a  high  percentage  of  loss.  The  only  guarantee  for  the  future  is  a 
well  organized,  well  trained  and  effective  fire  department.  Even  as  a  volun-i] 
teer  service,,  the  form  of  organization  of  the  fire  department  in  Reading  is] 
such  as  to  make  discipline  and  a  high  standard  of  efficiency  impossible! 
It  is  only  m  question  of  time,  therefore,  when  the  present  organization  musB 
be  changed. 

The  organization  of  the  department  at  present  is  as  follows: 

1  Chief 

2  Assistant  chiefs 
11  Foremen 
11  Assistant   foremen 

1   Chief  engineer 
6  Engineers 

1  Superintendent  of  fire  alarm 
28  Drivers 
5,606   Firemen 

The  chief  of  the  fire  department  receives  a  salary  of  $1,500,  while  the 
assistant  chiefs  each  receive  $500  a  year.  The  salary  paid  the  drivers  varies 
with  the  allowance  fixed  by  the  companies  retaining  them.  The  chief  and 
the  assistant  chiefs  are  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  and  subject  to  removal  by 
him   at  will.  0 

The  company  officers  are  elected  by  the  membership  of  their  respective 
companies.  Such  officers  are  in  no  way  responsible  to  the  chief  or  the 
administrative  head  of  the  department. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 205 


Each  company  selects  its  own  membership  on  a  social  basis,  rather 
than  for  qualifications  related  to  ,the  work  for  which  they  are  to  be  respon- 
sible. 

Thus,  the  department  is  organized  with  the  chief  responsible  to  the 
Mayor,  with  subordinate  officers,,  responsible  not  to  the  chief,  but  to  the 
members  of  their  commands,  by  whom  they  are  elected  and  upon  whom  their 
designation  as  commanding  officers  depends. 

LACK  OF  DISCIPLINE. 

The  inevitable  result  of  this  arrangement  is  a  total  lack  of  discipline. 
In  no  department  of  municipal  government  is  the  enforcement  of  rigid 
disciplinary  measures  more  important  than  in  the  bureaus  of  police  and 
Ire.  It  can  be  said  that  the  efficiency  of  a  fire  fighting  force  depends  upon 
training  and  discipline.  In  these  two  respects,  Reading's  fire  department  is 
very  deficient. 

Not  only  is  the  chief  without  power  to  discipline  his  subordinates,  and 
[lis  subordinate  commanding  officers  unable  to  discipline  the  members  of 
the  fire  fighting  force,  but  what  is  even  a  more  serious  menace  to  efficiency, 
the  fire  fighting  force,  by  virtue  of  the  plan  of  organization,  is  able  to  destroy 
the  official  designation  of  their  own  commanding  officers  in  case  they  should 
attempt  the  enforcement  of  discipline.  If  the  chief  has  occasion  to  discipline 
a  member  of  the  department,  he  is  required  to  prefer  charges,,  and  place  the 
matter  in  the  hands  of  his  own  company  comrades. 


SUPERINTENDENT  OF   PUBLIC   SAFETY  ADMINISTRATIVE 
HEAD. 

Until  December  of  last  year  the  chief  was  the  administrative  and  execu- 
tive head  of  the  department.  He  exercised  no  administrative  functions 
however,  and  exercised  executive  functions  only  when  the  department  was 
in  actual  service  at  fires.  Under  the  commission  form  of  government,  the 
Superintendent  of  Public  Safety  is  the  administrative  head  of  the  department. 

The  organization  of  the  department  comprises  13  separate  volunteer 
companies,  each  independent  of  the  other,  in  so  far  as  they  are  affected  by 
administrative  or  executive  control.  Thus,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  Superintendent  of  Public  Safety  is  made  responsible  for  the  conduct  and 
management  of  the  fire  department,  he  is  not  in  complete  administrative 
control  of  the  force,  since  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  each  of  these 
13  companies  is  controlled  by  the  membership  of  the   individual  companies. 

Although  the  city  appropriates,  under  the  heading  of  "Gratuities,,"  ap- 
proximately $50,000  a  year,  each  company  receiving  $3,500  (two  companies 
having  an  ambulance  service  receive  an  additional  $1,200  a  year  each),  the 
administrative  head  of  the  department  has  absolutely  no  control  over  the 
expenditure  of  this  money. 

NO  ADEQUATE  REPORTS. 

With  the  exception  of  an  annual  report  to  Council  and  an  annual  financial 
statement  furnished  by  each  of  the  13  companies,  neither  the  chief  nor  the 
administrative  head  receive  any  current  reports  which  would  make  possible 


206  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


the    exercising-   of   intelligent    control.      The    matter    of   reports    will   be    fully- 
discussed  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

NO  EMERGENCY  REPATR  GREW. 

The  keeping  of  the  apparatus  in  repair  and  in  good  condition  for  prompt 
and  speedy  service,  is  a  most  important  part  of  the  work  of  the  fire  depart- 
ment. No  provision  is  made  in  the  organization,  however,,  for  the  immediate 
repair  of  apparatus,  by  department  employees,  and  considerable  delay  is 
caused  by  reason  of  the  absence  of  a  chief  mechanic  and  proper  supervi- 
sion over  the  apparatus. 

VOLUNTEER  SERVICE  INEFFICIENT. 

The  administration  and  organization  of  Reading's  fire  department  may 
be  summed  up  by  stating  that  there  is  no  administrative  or  executive  con- 
trol, and  that  the  present  plan  of  organization  operates  against  discipline 
and  prevents  efficiency  in  fire  fighting.  These  conditions  will  exist  as  long 
as  Reading  continues  to  maintain'  a  volunteer  fire  service. 

COST  OF  VOLUNTEER  SERVICE. 

The  actual  cost  of  the  volunteer  service  to  Reading  is"  far  greater  than 
is  shqwn  by  the  city's  accounts. 

The  amount  appropriated  by  the  city  during  the  year  1913-1914  was 
$93,282.44.  This  amount  includes  salaries,  cost  of  maintenance,  new  appara- 
tus, repairs  to  fire  houses,  etc.,  classified  as  follows: 

Operation   and   maintenance,  including  gratuities   and   repairs 
to  fire  houses  and  apparatus $59,807.44 

Purchase  of  new  apparatus 29,575.00 

Salaries  of  chief,  assistant  chiefs   and  superintendent   of  tele- 
graph     2,900 .  00 

Placing   wires    underground 1,000.00 


$93,282.44 

This  may  be  called  the  "book"  cost  to  the  city  of  a  department  with  a 
membership  given  as  5,606.  The  membership,  of  course,  is  largely  a  book 
membership  on  a  social  club  basis,  and  the  cost  as  given  above  is  in  fact  far 
less  than  the  actual  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance. 

In  estimating  the  cost  of  maintenance  to  the  citizens,  there  is  an  element 
of  indirect  taxation  which  must  be  considered,  but  which  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  definitely  because  of  the  absence  of  any  statistics  upon  the 
subject.  Each  year  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  fire  companies  have  a  deficit 
which  they  meet  by  means  of  public  subscriptions,  secured  by  the  sale  of 
tickets  for  bazaars,  fairs  and  entertainments.  The  citizens  thus  make  up 
the  deficits,  and  in  the  end  pay  the  entire  cost  of  an  inadequate  service. 

The  second  element  of  cost,  upon  which  there  are  no  statistics  available, 
is  the  salaries  of  employees,  paid  by  private  employers,  for  the  time  that 
their  employees  are  responding  to  alarms,  as  members  of  the  volunteer  or- 
ganizations. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  207 


A  third  element  of  cost  should  be  considered.  This  is  the  increased 
cost  of  fire  insurance,  due  to  the  city  continuing  the  volunteer  fire  service. 
Just  how  much  of  a  reduction  in  insurance  rates  would  be  secured  as  the 
result  of  the  establishment  of  a  paid  fire  service  cannot  be  ascertained, 
but  it  is  reasonable,  to  assume  that  with  the  establishment  of  a  trained,  paid 
fire  service,  there  would  necessarily  be  a  reduction  in  fire  risks  and,  conse- 
quently, in  the  cost  of  insurance. 

FULLY    PAID   SERVICE   RECOMMENDED. 

The  possible  cost  represented  by  the  loss  of  life  and  property  in  the 
event  of  a  conflagration  due  to  the  inexperience  and  inefficiency  of  a  poorly 
organized  volunteer  department  can  scarcely  be  estimated.  But,  based  upon 
the  experience  of  other  cities,  the  value  of  a  properly  organized,  scientifically 
trained,  paid  fire  service,  performing  adequate  fire  prevention  inspection,  can 
be  easily  estimated. 

It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that  the  Council  take  immediate  steps 
toward  organizing  a  fully  paid  fire  service  for  the  city.  To  this  end,  the 
following  plan  of  organization,  showing  the  probable  cost  of  administration, 
is    submitted. 

PROPOSED  ORGANIZATION  BY  RANK  AND  SALARY. 

The  total  uniformed  force,  divided  as  to  rank,  should  include  the  follow- 
ing: 

1  Chief   (a  $2,000         $  2.000 

2  Assistant    chiefs     @.     1,500  3,000 

1   Chief   mechanic   and   instructor @     1,200  1,200 

12  Captains    @  1400  14400 

12  Lieutenants  @  1,020  12,240 

6  Engineers    @  000  5400 

77  Firemen    @  780  60,060 

in   Men  $98,300 

While  the  direct  payroll  cost  would  be  increased,  it  is  believed  that  the 

indirect    cost    to    citizens    would    be    correspondingly    reduced    and    the    city 

would  have  a   specialized  organization   subject  to  better  discipline   and   more 

efficient. 

The  estimated  total  annual  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance  of  a  fully 
paid  department  is  as  under: 
Salaries 

Uniformed  force  of  11 1  men $98,300.00 

Supplies 

Fuel,  forage,  gasoline,  lubricants  and  chemicals;  cleaning 

and   office    supplies.,   etc 9.700.00 

Equipment 

Fire    hose    2.000.00 

Horses 2.000.00 

Harness 300.00 


208  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


Contract  or  open  order  service 

General  repairs 4,500.00 

Lighting 1,100.00 

Shoeing  and  veterinary  charges. . . 1,175.00 

Miscellaneous '. 1,000.00 

Total    annual    cost $120,075.00 

To  the  above  must  be  added  the  expenditures  incidental  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  department  on  a  fully  paid  basis  which  must  be  provided  for  in 
the  first  year,  but  will  not  recur  in  every  subsequent  year,  as  follows: 

Rubber   coats   and   boots,   belts,,   helmets,    etc $    2,000.00 

Dormitory    equipment    2,220.00 

Remodeling    of    buildings 2,500.00 

Repair  shop   equipment 5,000.00 


$11,720.00 
Of  the  total  annual  cost  above  stated  ($120,075)  all  will  have  to  be  pro- 
vided for,  whether  the  paid  department  plan  is  adopted  or  not,  except  sala- 
ries. The  salaries  paid  to  the  chief,  assistant  chiefs,  drivers,  janitors,  etc., 
on  the  volunteer  basis,  amounted  last  year  to  approximately  $25,000  as 
against  payroll  charges  of  $98,300  for  a  complete  and  fully  paid  organization. 
An  appropriation  of  $5,000  for  the  equipment  of  a  repair  shop  should 
be   granted  whether  the  volunteer  service  is   continued  or  not. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  sum  of  $27,870.72  will  be  required  to  pay 
for  new  apparatus,  etc.,  recently  acquired  or  to  be  purchased  before  Decem- 
ber 31st,  1914.  This  will  have  to  be  provided  for  whether  the  organization 
of  the  department  is  changed  or  not. 

A  comparison  of  the  estimated  cost  to  the  city  of  the  volunteer  organiza- 
tion for  the  year  ending  April  ist„  1914,  and  the  fully  paid  service  for  one 
year  ending  April    1st,   1915,  is   given  below. 

Volunteer  Paid 

Organization         Department 

Salaries   $25,000.00  $  98,300.00 

Other    expenses    37,707.44  33,495.00 

Total  cost  of  operation  and  maintenance      $62,707.44  $131,795.00 

Purchase  of  new  apparatus,  etc 30,575.00  27,870.72 


$93,282.44  $159,665.72 

The  figures  given  in  both  cases  are  for  a  complete  year.     For  the  fiscal 

period   from   April    1st   to    December   31st,    1914,    the    cost    of    operation   and 

maintenance  of  the  paid  department,  including  the  expenditures  incidental  to 

the  change  in  organization,  would  amount  to  $99,175.00. 

SUPERINTENDENT    OF   PUBLIC   SAFETY   ADMINISTRATIVE 
HEAD. 

The  Superintendent  of  Public  Safety  should  serve  as  the  administrative 
head  of  the  department,,  and  as  such  he  should  have  absolute  control  over  the 
activities  of  the  department,  being  properly  advised  by  current  reports,  as 
will  be  suggested  elsewhere.  His  salary  should  not  be  a  charge  against  the 
fire   department,   but    rather   against   Council    of   which   he    is    a    member. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  209 


CHIEF  THE  EXECUTIVE  HEAD. 

The  chief  of  the  department  should  be  the  executive  head,  responsible 
and  reporting  directly  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Safety.  He  should 
be  required  to  give  his  entire  time  to  the  department  as  the  head  of  its 
uniformed  force.  He  should  have  power  to  assign  and  transfer  his  subor 
dinates,  but  he  should  be  required  to  report  in  writing  such  assignments 
and  transfers  and  the  reason  therefor  to  the  superintendent.  He  should 
be  in  complete  control  of  the  uniformed  force  at  all  times,  subject  only 
to  the  superintendent.  His  tenure  of  office  should  be  during  good  behavior, 
and  he  should  be  removed  only  upon  charges  proven  at  a  public  hearing 
before  Council.  He  should  be  held  strictly  responsible  not  only  for  the 
activities  of  the  department  in  the  matter  of  fire  extinguishment,  but  like- 
wise for  proper  fire  prevention  inspection. 

ASSISTANT  CHIEFS. 

There  should  be  two  assistant  fire  chiefs,  who  should  be  required  to 
give  their  entire  time  to  the  service.  The  assistants  should  be  directly 
responsible  and  report  to  the  chief  of  the  department.  One  of  whom 
should  serve  as  first  assistant,  being  executive  officer  to  the  chief  and  assum- 
ing command  of  the  uniformed  force  during  the  absence  of  the  chief. 
The  city  should  be  divided  into  two  fire  districts,,  with  an  assistant  chief 
in  charge  of  each.  The  chief  should  hold  them  responsible  for  the  enforce- 
ment of  fire  prevention  regulations  and  the  discipline  and  efficiency  of  the 
members  of  their  commands. 

12  CAPTAINS. 

In  accordance  with  the  suggestions  contained  in  the  report  of  the 
National  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters'  Committee  on  Fire  Prevention,  dated 
February,  1914,  relating  to  its  survey  of  the  City  of  Reading,  there  should 
be  12  fire  stations,  each  under  the  command  of  a  captain,  who  should  be 
directly  responsible  and  report  to  the  assistant  chief  to  whose  district  they 
are  assigned.  Captains  should  be  held  responsible  for  the  enforcement 
of  fire  prevention  regulations  within  their  districts,  the  sanitary  condition 
of  their  fire  stations  and  the  discipline  and  efficiency  of  the  firemen  under 
their   command. 

12  LIEUTENANTS. 

As  assistants  to  the  captains  there  should  be  appointed  12  lieutenants 
to  act  as  commanding  officers,  to  assist  the  captains  in  their  work  and 
to  take  command  of  the  station  and  the  company  in  the  absence  of  the 
captain. 

INSTRUCTOR  AND   CHIEF  MECHANIC. 

There  should  be  a  chief  mechanic,  who  would  have  charge  of  the  appara- 
tus, and  of  a  suitable  repair  shop.  He  should  serve  also  as  the  instructor 
in  charge  of  the  training  tower.  He  should  likewise  have  charge  of  and 
supervision  over  all  of  the  horses  in  the  department.     He  should  be  directly 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


responsible  for  the  condition  of  all  apparatus  and  the  repair  of  defective 
apparatus,,  the  care  of  the  horses,  and  the  drilling  of  the  men.  He  should 
be  required  to  attend  all  two  alarm  fires,  and  to  supervise  the  apparatus 
in  the  field,  noting-  carefully  the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  the  members  of 
the  force  at  such  fires.  He  should  perform  at  the  workshop  all  repairs 
to  apparatus  of  a  character  not  requiring  extended  overhauling.  The  organi- 
zation of  this  shop  will  be  referred  to  and  described  in  another  section  of 
this  report. 

6  ENGINEERS. 

Each  of  the  six  engines  should  be  in  charge  of  a  licensed  engineer,  who 
should  be  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  chief  mechanic. 

77  FIREMEN. 

In  addition  to  the  officers  described  above,  provision  should  be  made 
for  the  appointment  of  yy  firemen.  From  these  men  should  be  selected 
the  drivers,  tillermen,  hosemen,  assistant  engineers  and  laddermen;  but  all 
of  these  ranks  should  be  of  equal  grade.  The  training  of  the  firemen  should 
be  such  as  would  enable  any  of  the  firemen  to  serve  in  any  one  of  these 
various    capacities. 


SERVICE  CONDITIONS  AND  WELFARE 
OF  THE  FORCE 

One  of  the  principal  subjects  for  consideration  in  the  development  of  an 
efficient  organization  in  any  branch  of  municipal  service  is  that  of  personnel — 
the  conditions  affecting  the  appointment,  discipline,  promotion  and  welfare 
of   employees. 

APPOINTMENTS  AND  PROMOTIONS  ^SHOULD  BE  THROUGH 
COMPETITIVE  CIVIL  SERVICE  EXAMINATION. 

All  original  appointments  and  promotions  should  be  made  as  the  result 
of  competitive  civil  service  examinations,  comprising  both  physical  and 
mental  tests.  Such  examinations  should  be  conducted  in  accordance  with 
the  procedure  described  in  the  report  on  the  survey  of  the  police  department. 

SPECIAL  WEIGHTS  FOR  EXPERIENCE. 

In  conducting  the  civil  service  examinations  for  the  appointment  oi 
members  of  the  force  at  the  time  of  organization,,  special  weights  should 
be  given  for  previous  experience,  so  that  members  of  the  present  volunteer 
service  will  receive  preference  in  accordance  with  the  number  of  fires  actually 
attended  by  them. 

DEPARTMENTS  SHOULD  HAVE  PHOTOGRAPHS  OF  ALL  MEN 
APPOINTED. 

For  purposes  of  identification,  in  the  event  of  deaths  at  fires,  each  man 
appointed  should  be  required  to  provide  the  department  with  a  recent  photo- 


FIRE-DEPARTMENT 


graph  of  himself.  The  photograph  tiles  should  be  kept  up-to-date  by  requir- 
ing all  members  of  the  department  to  furnish  a  new  photograph  at  the  end 
of  each  three  years*  Upon  the  back  of  each  photograph  should  be  kept 
an  accurate  description  of  the  fireman,  being  careful  to  note  any  marks 
upon  the  body  which  would  serve  to  identify  him. 

TRAINING  AXD    DISCIPLINE  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

While  general  educational  and  physical  tests  are  sufficient  for  original 
appointment,  the  questions  of  retention,  permanent  employment  and  promo- 
tion should  be  considered  in  relation  to  experience  or  special  fitness.  To 
this   end  a   period  of  probation   should  be  provided. 

The  rules  of  the  department  should  prescribe  that  the  probationary 
period  for  firemen  should  be  not  less  than  six  months,  during  which  time 
the  firemen  will  be  required  to  attend  the  school  for  recruits,  where  they 
should  receive  careful  efficiency  ratings  upon  which  should  be  determined 
whether  or  not  they  should  be  permanently  appointed  to  the   force. 

LACK  OF   DISCIPLINE   INDICATES  LACK   OF  TRAINING. 

Nothing  indicates  lack  of  training  more  than  the  absence  of  discipline 
at  fires,  and  nothing  is  more  conducive  to  inefficiency  .and  increased  fire  loss 
than    lack    of   training. 

No  provision  is  made  for  the  training  of  members  of  the  force.  There 
is  no  instructor,  no  training  tower,  and  the  men  are  permitted  to  perform 
active  service  at  fires  without  instructions  even  in  the  elemental  methods 
of   hre    fighting. 

Whether  Reading  decides  to  organize  a  fully  paid  fire-fighting  service 
or  not.  it  must  be  conceded  that  something  more  is  required  of  an  efficient 
fireman  than  good  physique  and  an  ability  to  '"eat  smoke."  Even  a  person 
most  unfamiliar  with  the  art  of  fire-fighting  can  easily  understand  that 
special  training  is   required   at   every   step  in   a   fireman's   work. 

Ability    to    extinguish    fires    promptly    and    with    a    minimum    loss    is.    of 
course,    essential,    but    equally    important    is    training    and    ability    to    in-- 
properties   for  fire  prevention,   arid   familiarity  with   the   modern   requirements 
for  adequate  fire  protection. 

VOLUNTEER  MEMBERS  ENTHUSIASTIC 

While  it  is  admitted  that  the  members  of  Reading's  volunteer  fire 
department  are  enthusiastic  in  the  performance  of  voluntary  service,  that  in 
the  past,  due  to  their  enthusiasm,  they  have  rendered  Reading  a  valuable 
service,  and  while  it  is  likewise  admitted  that  the  per  capita  fire  loss  as 
well  as  the  total  fire  loss  is  less  comparatively  than  many  cities  of  about 
the  same  population,  it  is.  nevertheless,  a  fact  that  the  firemen  are  untrained 
for  their  work  and  that  the  department  is  improperly  organized.  The  result 
of  these  conditions  is  lack  of  discipline. 

Enthusiasm  is,  indeed,  essential  to  efficiency  in  all  branches  of  municipal 
government,  but  enthusiasm  without  adequate  training  and  the  enforcement 
of  rigid  discipline  would  be  of  little  avail  in  the  event  of  a   conflagration. 

Although  members  of  a  volunteer  organization  will   respond  to  an   alarm 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


of  lire,  they  can  give  only  part  of  their  time  to  such  work.  Naturally,  they 
cannot  afford  to  devote  all  their  time  to  preparing  themselves  for  efficient 
fire   service,  nor  can  they  afford  to   make   fire-fighting  a  life   study. 

Consequently,  even  a  well  regulated  volunteer  organization  cannot  be 
a  wholly  efficient  fire-fighting  force;  the  number  of  men  who  will  respond 
to  the  call  of  fire  can  never  be  definitely  depended  upon.  Seasons  of  the  year 
and  weather  conditions  have  a  great  deal  to  do  with  the  number  of  men 
available  for  fire-fighting.  Even  the  time  of  day  that  an  alarm  rings  affects 
the  number  of  men  responding  to  the  call.  In  the  absence  of  any  legal 
method  of  compelling  members  of  a  volunteer  organization  to  devote  the 
necessary  time  to  training,  and  because  of  the  lack  of  any  intelligent  system 
of  scientific  instruction,  it  is  only  logical  that  the  volunteer  service  should 
be  less  efficient  than  a  paid  department.  This  is  the  fact  in  Reading.  The 
department  was  observed  in  operation  at  a  number  of  fires,  and  the  total 
lack  of  discipline,,  plus  the  obvious  lack  of  training,  was  convincing  evidence 
of  the  need  for  the  re-organization  of  the  department,  and  the  scientific  train- 
ing of  its  members,  if  not  the  establishment  of  a  paid  service. 

DEPARTMENT  OBSERVED  AT  FIRES. 

Several  incidents  observed  while  the  department  was  in  service  at  fires 
serve  to  illustrate  the  lack  of  training  of  the  present  force.  At  one  fire, 
which  was  located  in  the  upper  portion  of  a  building  to  which  access  was 
possible  by  way  of  a  good  staircase  and  an  outside  fire  balcony  fire  escape, 
and  at  a  time  when  the  fire  was  wholly  under  control,  an  attempt  was 
made  to  place  a  portable  extension  ladder  alongside  of  the  building.  The 
ladder  was  raised  after  great  difficulty  and  a  fireman  ascended.  When  he 
was  half  way  up  the  ladder,  it  was  discovered  that  the  top  of  the  ladder 
was  resting  on  telegraph  wires.  The  fireman  descended,  and  after  another 
delay,  the  ladder  was  finally  placed  against  the  wall,  but  never  used.  When 
it  was  time  to  "take  up,"  a  number  of  the  firemen  attempted  to  remove 
the  ladder.  They  did  so  by  standing  in  front  of  the  ladder  and  taking  the 
base  away  from  the  ground,  which  left  the  top  of  the  ladder  leaning  against 
the  wall.  As  they  drew  the  ladder  away  the  top  smashed  all  of  the  win- 
clows  with  which  it  came  in  contact.  The  'firemen  at  this  fire  demonstrated 
a  total  lack  of  discipline.  A  commanding  officer  was  heard  to  order  a  fire- 
man to  take  a  line  of  hose  into  the  building.  The  fireman  at  the  time 
was  putting  on  his  boots.  He  became  abusive  to  his  commanding  officer, 
whom  he  grossly  insulted,  and  refused  to  take  the  line  into  the  building. 
In  the  meantime  the  line  was  lying  on  the  ground.  Orders  were  being  given  by 
firemen  to  such  an  extent  that  the  commands  of  the  superior  officers  could 
not  be  interpreted  by  the  men  on  the  street.  One  fireman  was  observed 
turning  the  crank  of  a  chemical  tank  for  several  minutes  before  he  dis- 
covered that  the  tank  was  empty.  He  and  others  then  attempted  to  recharge 
the  tank.  The  confusion  that  followed  and  the  lack  of  energy  of  the  fire- 
men handling  the  apparatus  resulted  in  this  particular  tank  not  being  in 
service  at  this  fire. 

At  a  larger  fire  the  efficiency  of  the  service  was  demonstrated  to  even  a 
greater  degree.  Much  valuable  time  was  lost  at  the  fire,  because  of  the 
inability  of  the  firemen  to  connect  properly  the  engine  with  the  hydrant. 
One    hydrant    connection    observed    was    made    in    such    manner    as    to    be 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  213 


positively  dangerous.  Lines  of  hose  were  observed  located  under  the 
wheels  of  fire  apparatus,  with  the  full  weight  of  the  apparatus  upon  them. 
The  engineers  of  the  steamers  lost  considerable  time  in  supplying  the  streams 
because  of  arguments  with  other  members  of  the  company  as  to  how  the 
engine  should  be  connected  to  the  hydrant  and  who  should  stoke  the  fires. 
At  this  particular  fire  five  lengths  of  hose  burst.  In  no  instance  were  jackets 
used,  but  in  each  case  the  engine  was  stopped,  thus  cutting  off  the  stream 
until  a  new  length  of  hose  was  obtained.  At  one  steamer  there  was  consider- 
able delay  because  of  an  argument  between  the  engineer  and  two  members 
of  the  company  as  to  whether  it  was  proper  to  shut  down  the  engine  com- 
pletely jvhen  the  hose  burst.  During  the  argument  the  engine  was  shut 
down  and  the  stream  of  water  stopped.  Much  of  the  apparatus  at  this  fire 
was  poorly  located — both  water  and  energy  was  being  wasted  because  of 
the  absence  of  direction  and  control  of  the  location  of  streams.  Firemen 
picked  up  hose  indiscriminately  and  took  their  own  position  without  direction 
from  a  superior  officer.  The  result  was  that  during  the  entire  fire  streams 
were  observed  which  frequently  failed  to  reach  the  section  of  the  building  on 
fire.  Other  streams  were  partially  wasted  because  they  were  being  played 
upon  a  part  of  the  building  where  they  were  least  effective. 

.Many  other  similar  incidents  in  connection  with  the  handling  of  the 
apparatus  and  equipment  were  observed,  but  the  conditions  noticed  were  no 
worse  than  should  be  expected,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  members  receive 
no  adequate  training.  Since  methods  of  lire  control  and  extinguishment 
have  practically  been  standarized,.  the  training  of  men  to  put  out  fires  is 
no  longer  a  difficult  matter,  and  its  need  is  no  longer  questioned. 

The  records  of  the  police  department  show  that  "in  many  cases  it  has 
been  necessary  for  the  police  to  interfere  to  preserve  order  among  the 
members  of  the  fire  companies  when  in  service  at  fires.  It  has  not  been  at  all 
uncommon  for  two  steamers  to  attempt  to  connect  at  one  hydrant  which 
usually  has  resulted  in  an  argument,  making  necessarr  the  interference  of 
the  police  to  settle  the  dispute. 

So  great  is  the  membership  of  the  department  that  it  is  impossible  at 
times  for  the  police  to  distinguish  between  the  firemen  and  citizens  observing 
the  fire,  since  many  of  the  firemen  do  not  wear  badges  when  responding  to 
an  alarm.  The  confusion  at  fires,  at  least  during  the  working  hours,  is  neces- 
sarily increased  because  of  the  number  of  men  who  respond  to  an  alarm. 

Such  confusion,  lack  of  discipline,  unintelligent  handling  of  equipment  and 
apparatus  as  has  been  pointed  out,  would  be  sufficient  to  result  in  a  con- 
flagration, in  the  event  of  a  stubborn  fire  in  certain  sections  of  the  city. 

TRAINING  SCHOOL  RECOMMENDED. 

Whether  or  not  the  City  Council  decides  to  establish  a  paid  service,  a 
training  school  for  firemen  should  be  established.  In  the  event  of  the  city's 
continuing  the  volunteer  service,  provisions  should  be  made  for  training  a 
representative  number  of  firemen  from  each  company.  One  of  the  conditions 
imposed  upon  new  members  should  be  attendence  at  the  school.  Should 
the  city  establish  a  paid  department,  the  school  would  serve  two  purposes: 
(  1  )  To  insure  the  fitness  or  recruits  for  fire  duty  through  a  probationary 
period,  during  which  time  they  should  be  required  to  attend  the  school. 
(2)   To  train  the   recruits   for  continued   service. 


2i4  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


The  school  should  be  in  charge  of  a  competent  instructor.  As  recom- 
mended elsewhere  in  this  report,  the  chief  mechanic  should  also  serve  as  in- 
structor. One  of  the  two  houses  which  the  underwriters  recommend  should 
be  abandoned,  could  be  equipped  as  a  school  for  recruits. 

The  courses  of  study  should  include: 

i.    Practical  instruction  in  the  following: 

a)  Connecting  lines  of  hose. 

b)  The  use  of  different  sizes  of  hose. 

c)  The  use  of  different  nozzles. 

d)  Stretching   of  different   lines   of  hose   through   buildings   and   up 
the  interiors  to  the  roof.  ' 

e)  Skillful  handling  of  hose  to  secure  the  maximum  efficiency  of  the 
stream  and  to  reduce  loss  from  bursting  hose. 

f)   The  use   of  different  couplings  and  connections, 
g)  The  handling  of  ladders,  including  placing,  climbing  and  scaling 

ladders, 
h)    Handling   and   use   of   hooks,   picks,   door   openers,   wire   cutters 

and  oxygen  and  acetylene  torches  for  melting  steel  bars. 
i)   Emergency  repairs  to  hose   (use  of  jackets), 
j)  Tying   of  knots   used   in   the   handling   of   ladders,   lines    of   hose 

and  other  equipment, 
k)   Laws  and  ordinances   concerning  fires. 
1)    Building  laws. 

m)   Taking  out  broken  links  of  hose  already  stretched  on  the  out- 
side  of  buildings, 
n)  The  use  of  chemical  tanks,  recharging  and  handling  of  hand  ex- 
tinguishers. 

0)  Use  of  fire  helmets,  life  belts  and  life  nets. 

2.  Administration: 

a)  Discipline   (respect  for  authority.) 

b)  Reports  and  records. 

c)  Responsibility  for  city  property. 

d)  Rules   and    regulations. 

3.  Physical   Drill. 

a)  Setting-up  exercises. 

b)  Physical  appearance. 

4.  Lectures    on    the    following: 

a)  Building  code. 

b)  Dangerous  fires  in  general. 

c)  Precautions  to  be  taken  in  emptying  burning  buildings. 

d)  General  fire  righting. 

e)  Care  of  apparatus  and  equipment. 

f)  Combustibles  and  explosives, 
g)   Sprinklers  and  stand  pipes. 

h)   Conservation  of  property  in  burning  buildings.  • 

i)     Auxiliary    appliances,     including     Special     additional     appliances. 
j)  Water  pressures   (hre  hydrants). 
k)   Mains. 

1)  Different   building   constructions. 

m)    Duties  of  firemen  in   theatres  and  places  of  public  assemblage. 
n)    Fire  prevention  in  theatres  and  moving  picture  shows. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


o)   Fire  prevention  in  general. 

p)   Fire  prevention  laws  and  by-laws. 

q)   Records  and  reports. 

r)    Hygiene   and  first   aid  to  the   injured. 

s)  General  discipline. 
The  period  of  instruction  in  the  school  for  recruits  should  be  not  less 
than  three  continuous  weeks  for  members  of  the  paid  department,  or,  in  the 
event  of  the  school  being  for  the  volunteer  service,  and  the  training  being 
a  night  course,  an  equal  number  of  hours.  When  not  in  attendance  at  school, 
recruits  of  the  paid  department  should  perform  duties  with  the  respective 
companies  to  which  they  are  assigned. 

Before  organizing  the  training  school  for  recruits,,  the  officers  of  the 
department  should  be  thorougly  schooled  in  their  duties  so  as  to  be  able 
not  only  to  assist  in  the  work  of  training  recruits,  but  also  to  conduct  drills 
in  their  respective  company  quarters. 

The  person  selected  to  serve  as  instructor,  before  planning  his  courses 
of  study  and  periods  of  instruction,  should  be  permitted  to  attend  the  New 
York  Fire  College,  or  the  training  school  for  firemen  attached  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Bureau  of  Fire. 

TRIALS  OF  DELINQUENT  FIREMEN. 

No  fireman,  whether  volunteer  or  member  of  paid  department,  should  be 
removed  from  the  force  except  for  cause.  Therefore,  the  recommendations 
contained  in  the  report  on  the  survey  of  the  bureau  of  police,  should  be  in- 
corporated in  an  ordinance  and  made  applicable  to  the  bureau  of  fire.  The 
plan  of  procedure  outlined  therein  should  be  made  effective  for  the  bureau 
of  fire,  whether  a  paid  department  is  established  or  the  volunteer  organizations 
are  continued.  If  the  voluteer  organizations  are  continued,  the  discipline  of 
the  force  can  be  greatly  improved  by  placing  the  entire  matter  of  discipline 
and  the  punishment  of  delinquent  members  in  the  hands  of  the  Superintendent 
of  Public  Safety,  the  Chief  and  the  Council. 

PROVISIONS  FOR  THE  WELFARE  OF  EMPLOYEES. 

Among  the  things  which  make  for  efficiency  of  service  are  the  pro- 
visions made  for  the  health,  comfort  and  welfare  of  employees,  including 
recognition  of  merit  and  proper  compensation  for  work. 

SALARIES. 

The  schedule  of  salaries  recommended  is  based  upon  an  analysis  of  the 
salaries  paid  to  firemen  in  97  cities  of  the  United  States.  Upon  entering 
the  service  the  firemen  should  receive  an  annual  salary  of  $780.  This  salary 
should  be  increased  $60  a  year  until  a  maximum  of  $900  is'  reached.  Thus, 
the  firemen  will  be  grouped  into  grades  in  accordance  with  their  length  of 
service  during  the  first  three  years  as  follows: 

Third  grade — during  the   first  year  of  service,  $780. 

Second  grade — during  the   second  year  of  service,  $840. 

First  grade — during  the  third  year  of  service,  $900. 


!i6  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


SURGEON. 

As  recommended  in  the  report  of  the  bureau  of  police,  the  surgeon 
selected  should  be  designated  surgeon  for  the  bureau  of  fire,  and  in  the 
event  that  Council  does  not  provide  such  an  appointee,  the  health  officer 
of  the  city  should  serve  in  this  capacity. 

The  members  of  the  fire  department,  whether  paid  or  volunteer,  are  en- 
titled to  medical  aid  when  injured  in  the  performance  of  their  duty  without 
cost  to  them.  Members  of  a  paid  department  are  entitled  to  free  medical 
aid  regardless  of  whether  they  are  injured  in  the  performance  of  their  duty 
or  not.  The  rules  should  provide  that  members  of  the  paid  service  receive 
half  their  regular  salary  when  on  sick  leave  except  when  their  sickness  is 
due  directly  to  injury  in  the  performance  of  duty,  when  they  should  be  given 
full  pay. 

Printed  report  forms  should  be  provided  for  the  health  officer  or  the 
department  surgeon  and  he  should  be  required  to  make  a  written  report  upon 
each  case  examined,  stating  the  probable  cause  of  illness,  the  diagnosis,  and 
the  prognosis.  When  the  fireman  is  sufficiently  well  to  return  to  duty,  the 
physician  should  make  a  written  report  to  the  department.  Both  of  these 
reports  should  become  permanent  records. 

REWARDS  FOR  HEROIC  SERVICE. 

Physical  courage  is  one  of  the  chief  qualifications  of  a  fireman.  There 
are  times  in  the  service  of  every  fireman  when  he  is  called  upon  to  risk 
his  own  life  in  an  endeavor  to  rescue  others.  No  fireman  who  meets  such  a 
test  with  honor  should  go  unrewarded  whether  a  member  of  the  volunteer 
service  or  a  paid  department. 

Distinguished  acts  of  bravery  should  receive  special  departmental  re- 
cognition. For  purposes  of  making  proper  and  fitting  rewards  and  determin- 
ing to  whom  these  rewards  should  be  given,  there  should  be  established  a 
board  qf  honor.  This  board  should  consist  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public 
Safety,  the  Chief  of  the  Department  and  the  Mayor  or  President  of  the 
Civil  Service   Commission. 

Each  year  the  board  should  meet  to  consider  all  cases  of  heroic  acts 
referred  to  it  within  the  year.  The  fireman,  who.  in  the  opinion  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  board,  has  performed  the  most  distinguished  act  of  bravery 
during  the  year,  should  receive  a  gold  medal,  officially  known  as  "The  De- 
partment Medal."  Other  firemen,  performing  less  conspicuous  acts  of 
bravery,  should  be  awarded  "Honorable   Mention." 

The  presentation  of  the  Department  Gold  Medal  should  be  made  with 
fitting  ceremonies  by  the  Mayor.  The  fireman  to  whom  the  Department  Gold 
Medal  has  been  awarded  should  be  authorized  to  wear  a  small  gold  star  on 
the  sleeve  of  his  uniform  coat,  while  the  firemen  receiving  honorable  men- 
tion should  be  authorized  to  wear  a  silver  star. 

PENSIONS. 

If  the  department  is  organized  upon  a  paid  basis,  an  equitable  pension 
system  should  be  inaugurated.  Such  a  system  should  provide  for  service 
and  disability  pensions,  and  should  be  created  upon  a  sound  financial  basis, 
but  no  such  system  should  be  put  into  effect  until  a  careful  study  has  been 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  217 


made  in  order  that  the  city's  interests  may  be  properly  safeguarded.  If  the 
city  is  to  continue  the  volunteer  service  it  is  recommended  that  in  view  of 
the  very  large  membership  of  the  present  organization  that  the  plan  of 
relief  fund  now  being  operated  be  continued. 

FIRE  HOUSES. 

An  examination  of  the  fire  houses  showed  them  to  be  clean,  orderly  and 
well  maintained.  Most  of  them  could  be  arranged  for  use  by  the  paid  de- 
partment, without  much  additional  expense.  All  of  the  houses  are  equipped 
with  large  parlors  which  would  furnish  in  almost  every  case,  ample  room  for 
a  dormitory.  A  number  of  the  houses  already  have  dormitories.  Practically 
all  of  the  houses  are  equipped  with  modern,  improved  fire  house  equipment. 


THE  WORK  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT- 
PREVENTION  AND  EXTINGUISHING  OF  FIRES 

The  primary  purposes  for  which  fire  departments  exist  are  the  prevention 
and   extinguishing  of  fires. 

FIRE  PREVENTION. 

Although  the  volunteer  fire  service,  as  stated  elsewhere  in  this  report, 
has  performed  patriotic  and  enthusiastic  service  in  the  extinguishment  of 
fires,  no  attention  has  been  paid  by  this  organization  to  the  matter  of  fire 
prevention. 

It  is  indeed  important  that  a  department  attain  the  highest  efficiency  in 
the  methods  of  fire  extinguishment,  but  it  is  equally  vital,  if  not  of  more 
importance,  that  efficiency  in  lire  prevention  be  developed  to  the  highest 
degree.  Such  a  condition,  of  course,  would  scarcely  be  possible  with  the 
volunteer  service.  While  efficiency  in  methods  of  fire  extinguishment  may 
be  obtained  by  the  careful  training  of  the  members  of  the  organization,  even 
though  it  be  a  volunteer  one,  efficiency  in  fire  prevention  can  never  be 
attained  except  by  the  adoption  of  rigid  laws  governing  fire  prevention,  by 
constant  inspection  by  trained  men  with  a  view  to  the  enforcement  of  these 
laws,  and  by  the  co-operation  of  the  public.  Not  only  does  the  department 
in  Reading  fail  to  perform  even  the  ordinary  duties  of  a  fire  department 
in  connection  with  fire  prevention  work,  but,,  what  is  even  more  serious, 
the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  city  with  relation  to  fire  prevention  are  prac- 
tically valueless. 

The  city  has  neglected  to  adopt  a  proper  building  code,  or  to  privide 
proper  ordinances  with  relations  to  the  sale,  transportation  and  storing  of 
explosives  and  inflammables.  It  may  be  said  that,  with  the  exception  of  the 
activity  of  the  State  Fire  Marshal  upon  specific  complaints,  and  of  the  in- 
spection of  the  State  Factory  Department  of  certain  kinds  of  buildings,  no 
attempt  is  being  made  to  reduce  the  possibility  of  fire  through  inspections. 

INSPECTIONS  BY  PAID  DEPARTMENT. 

With  the  establishment  of  a  properly  organized  paid  department  an  active 
fire  prevention  campaign  could  be  inaugurated  at  once.     House-to-house  in- 


2i8  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


spections  could  be  made  which  would  result  unquestionably  in  greatly  reducing 
the  possibility  of  fires.  Such  a  campaign  as  this,  of  which  Reading  is  greatly 
in  need,  could  not  be  conducted  by  volunteer  service. 

The  efficiency  of  the  department  as  a  fire  fighting  force  has,  of  course, 
been  greatly  reduced  and  must  continue  to  be  handicapped  by  the  absence 
of  fire  prevention  inspection  since  if  such  inspections  were  properly  made 
the  department  would  be  in  possession  of  accurate,  detailed  descriptions  of 
the  interiors  of  all  of  the  buildings  in  Reading.  Thus,  the  department  would 
liave  an  important  guide  to  its  members  in  the  work  of  fire  extinguishment. 

It  is  now  conceded  by  the  majority  of  fire  experts  that  house  to  house 
inspections  by  members  of  the  uniformed  fire  force  are  not  only  desirable  but 
extremely  important,  even  in  a  city  which  maintains  a  civilian  corps  of  fire 
prevention  inspectors.  The  logic  of  this  is  that  uniformed  firemen  can  thus 
have  an  opportunity  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  interiors  of  the  build- 
ings which  they  may  be  called  upon  to  enter  for  purposes  of  fire  extinguish- 
ment. It  is  quite  essential  to  efficiency  in  fire  extinguishment  that  firemen 
should  study  and  know  the  interiors  of  the  buildings  which  they  are  required 
to  protect.  A  properly  trained  and  experienced  fireman,  because  of  his  ex- 
perience and  training,  is  better  fitted  than  any  one  else  to  make  fire  prevention 
inspections.  In  addition  to  his  own  capability,  because  of  his  uniform  and 
"his  rank,  he  inspires  added  confidence  in  the  householder,  and  this  leads  to 
a  more  prompt  compliance  with  the  suggestions  in  the  matter  of  fire  pre- 
vention. 

PROVISIONS  OF  LAWS  TOTALLY  IGNORED. 

With  the  permission  of  the  Mayor  and  the  chief  of  the  department  an 
inspection  of  the  theatres  in  Reading  was  made.  This  inspection  revealed  not 
only  many  technical  violations  of  the  law,  but  in  at  least  two  of  the  theatres 
an  absolute  disregard  for  the  most   commonplace  fire  prevention   measures. 

Notwithstanding  that  each  theatre  is  required  to  employ  a  member  of 
the  fire  department  who  is  to  remain  on  duty  during  every  performance  no 
•effort  is  made  to  enforce  the  regulations  governing  first-aid  equipment.  This 
fact  is  not  surprising,  however,  since  an  examination  of  a  number  of  the 
firemen  assigned  to  these  theatres  revealed  the  fact  that  they  had  absolutely 
no  knowledge  concerning  the  equipment  required  in  theatres.  One  fireman 
•showed  a  total  ignorance  of  his  duties  in  the  event  of  panic.  Although  in 
the  employ  of  the  theatre  for  a  number  of  weeks,  he  could  not  answer  the 
most  ordinary  questions  concerning  the  exits,  fire  extinguishers  and  stage 
•equipment.  His  lack  of  training  was  emphasized  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
unable  to  tell  the  contents  of  a  hand  chemical  extinguisher,  although  he  alleged 
that  he  frequently  recharged  them.  Another  of  these  firement  was  unable  to 
direct  the  investigator  through  the  house.  In  one  theatre  the  fireman  was 
also  employed  as  the  house  electrician,  which  required  his  entire  time  during 
the  performance  at  the  stage  switchboard.  These  firemen  make  no  written 
reports. 

LAW  GOVERNING  THEATRES  INADEQUATE. 

The  theatres  are  subject  to  inspection  by  the  department  or  State  factory 
inspection,  pursuant  to  the  State  law.  There  being  no  building  code  in 
operation   and   no   ordinances   governing   the   construction   and   equipment    of 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  219 


theatres,  the  local  authorities  are  practically  powerless  to  enforce  proper 
regulations  tending  to  safeguard  the  audiences.  The  State  law,  under  which 
the  State  department  of  factory  inspection  operates,  is  wholly  inadequate  in 
its  provisions,  and  does  not  require  sufficient  protection  against  fire  and  loss 
of  life  due  to  panic. 

While  this  law  requires  a  curtain  of  "tioncombustible''  substance,  which 
is  intended  to  keep  within  the  limits  of  the  stage  fire,  smoke  and  gas,  one 
theatre  was  found  to  be  equipped  with  such  a  curtain  hung  from  a  wooden 
proscenium  wall,  and  a  poorly  constructed  wall  at  that.  While  the  law 
demands  a  noncombustible  curtain,  it  does  not  prescribe  the  manner  in  which 
the  curtain  shall  be  hung,  nor  does  it  demand  that  such  curtain  shall  be  set 
into  metal  grooves  on  either  side  of  the  stage  ih  order  to  prevent  smoke 
and  gas  from  reaching  the  audience  as  the  result  of  a  back  draught  when  the 
curtain  is  down.  Thus,  no  protection  whatever  is  afforded  by  a  non-com- 
bustible curtain.  It  effect,  the  provisions  of  this  law  do  not  empower  the 
officials,  local  or  state,  to  require  ample  provisions  for  the  safety  of  the 
theatre-going  public.  As  a  result  of  the  absence  of  proper  ordinances  upon 
the  subject,  Reading  has  two  theatres  which  may  be  regarded  as  unsafe 
for  use,,  one  of  which  should  be  closed  until  the  necessary  changes  in  con- 
struction are  made  to  protect  audiences  against  injury  due  to  fire  and  panic. 

One  of  these  theatres,  although  compelled  by  the  State  authorities  to 
install,  at  a  great  expense,  fire  towers  to  afford  means  of  exit  from  the  body 
of  the  house,  was  permitted  to  have  a  stage  which  is  a  veritable  invitation 
to  destruction  by  fire.  Not  alone  is  this  stage,  with  its  wooden  superstructure, 
wooden  proscenium  wall  and  flimsy  wooden  rear  wall,  constantly  in  danger 
of  destruction  by  lire,  but  the  danger  is  even  increased  because  of  the  sur- 
rounding hazards,  the  theatres  itself  being  merely  a  part  of  a  large  non- 
I ire-resisting  biulding.  Notwithstanding  the  extraordinary  hazardous  condi- 
tion of  this  stage,  and  notwithstanding  the  peculiarity  of  construction  of  the 
building  itself,  not  a  single  fire  bucket  was  found  upon  the  stage;  no  sprink- 
ling system  has  been  installed;  the  asbestos  curtain  was  improperly  hung, 
and  no  hook,  axes,  or  other  tire  first  aid  equipment  were  found  upon  the 
stage.  The  dressing  rooms  had  ordinary  thin  wooden  partitions.  Im- 
mediately back  of  tjie  stage  and  separated  from  it  only  by  a  poorly  constricted 
wooden  wall,  is  a  carpenter  shop  and  property  room,  both  without  spriklers. 

Because  of  the  absence  of  a  fire  wall  separating  this  theatre  from  the 
remainder  of  the  building,  there  is  a  powerful  back  draft  which  blows  from 
the  other  section  of  the  building  through  the  stage  proper  to  the  auditorium. 
So  severe  is  this  draft  that  when  the  curtain  is  raised,,  it  can  readily  be  de- 
tected by  the  audience.  This  condition  would  make  impossible  the  con- 
fining of  a  fire  to  the  limits  of  the  stage  for  sufficient  time  to  permit  of 
emptying  the  house  of  the  audience. 

Another  theatre  is  in  equally  bad  condition  so  far  as  the  stage  proper  is 
concerned,  because  of  liimsy  wooden  superstructure.  All  of  the  dressing 
rooms,  which  are  constructed  of  thin  wooden  partitioning,  are  located  upon 
the  stage  in  tiers.  This  stage  is  equipped  with  an  asbestos  curtain,  improperly 
hung  and  not  set  into  grooves,  thus  destroying  its  usefulness  as  a  protection 
against  tire.  Notwithstanding  the  hazardous  condition  of  this  stage,  the  State 
law  was  violated  in  that  there  was  not  a  single  bucket  of  water,  or  water- 
cask  upon  the  stage.  None  of  the  ordinary  means  of  fighting  tires  were 
found    upon    the    stage   except    two    small   hand    extinguishers.      The    dressing 


220  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


rooms,  eight  in  number,  were  crowded  with  rubbish,  but  had  no  sprinkling 
system. 

These  conditions  existing  with  official  sanction  are  only  pointed  out  to 
emphasize  the  need  of  fire  prevention  inspection  by  special  trained  firemen, 
and  the  adoption  of  proper  ordinances  regulating  the  construction  and 
equipment  of  theatres,  moving  picture  shows,,  and  places  of  amusement.  As 
a  further  illustration  of  the  need  for  the  rigid  enforcement  of  fire  preven- 
tion rules  and  regulations  the  following  incident  should  be  noted:  A  large 
hall  visited  had  at  the  time  of  the  inspection  three  exits  locked — these  exits 
being  the  means  of  escape.  When  requested  to  open  the  exits,,  the  manage- 
ment refused,  alleging  that  by  leaving  these  exits  open,  people  could  gain 
entrance  to  the  hall  without  paying  an  admission  fee.  At  the  very  time  the 
inspection  was  made,  the  affair  being  held  in  the  hall  was  under  the  auspices 
of  one  of  the  volunteer  fire  companies. 

A  fire  drill  should  be  conducted  in  all  theatres,  and  employees  should 
receive  instructions  as  to  their  duties  in  case  of  panic. 

NEED  FOR  A  BUILDING  CODE. 

An  inspection  of  a  number  of  buildings  in  the  congested  mercantile  district 
emphasized  the  need  for  the  immediate  adoption  of  a  building  code.  While 
the  manufacturing  plants  are  for  the  most  part  fairly  well  equipped  with 
fire  lighting  apparatus,  sprinkler  systems,  etc.,  there  are  groups  of  buildings 
with  unprotected  windows  and  roofs  which   result  in  a  conflagration  hazard. 

Steps  should  be  taken  at  once  to  provide  the  municipal  authorities  with 
adequate  power  to  enforce  proper  fire  prevention  regulations.  In  adopting 
these  regulations  and  a  building  code, the  Council  should  provide  specifically 
for  buildings  at  present  in  use  as  theatres,  moving  picture  shows  and  places 
of  amusement,,  and  the  requirements  regarding  such  places  should  be  of  such 
a  character  that  they  could  be  met  by  the  management  of  the  houses. 

FIRE  PREVENTION  CAMPAIGN  SHOULD  BE  BEGUN  AT  ONCE. 

With  the  establishment  of  a  fully  paid  lire  service,  a  vigorous  fire  pre- 
vention compaign  should  be  begun  immediately.  To  conduct  such  a  cam- 
paign efficiently,  citizen  co-operation  is  necessary,,  and  a  campaign  of  educa- 
tion essential.  For  this  purpose  Council  should  create  a  fire  prevention 
commission,  to  consist  of  the  superintendent  of  public  safety,  the  chief  of  the 
bureau  of  fire,  the  inspector  of  buildings  and  at  least  two  private  citizens 
to  serve  without  salary.  The  ordinance  establishing  this  commission  should 
empower  its  membership  to  create  and  promulgate  rules  and  regulations 
upon  the  subject  of  fire  prevention.  The  Mayor  should  insist  that  all  city 
departments  co-operate  with  the  commission  for  the  enforcement  of  these 
rules. 

The  campaign  should  be  begun  by  a  general  "clean-up"  week.  All  civic 
agencies  should  be  invited  to  co-operate  in  the  clean-up.  '  Householders 
should  be  circularized  and  their  attention  called  to  common  practices  which 
increase  the  danger  of  fire.  The  aim  of  the  "clean-up"  week  should  be  to 
rid  the  city  immediately  of  large  accumulations  of  rubbish  which  tend  to 
increase  the  probability  of  fire. 

The  fire  department  and  the  fire  prevention  commission  should  be  given 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  221 


broad    power    in    the    ordinance    to    enforce    preventative    measures.      They 
should  include  the  power  to 

1.  Inspect  any  building,  structure,,  place  or  premises. 

2.  Remedy  any  condition  found  in  violation  of  any  law,  rule   or  regula- 

tion in  respect  to  fires,  or  the  prevention  of  fires. 

3.  Require     the     installation    of    automatic    fire    alarm     equipment,     and 

adequate  and  s?.fe  means  of  exit. 

4.  Require  to  be  vacated  any  building  or  structure  which  is  inadequately 

protected  against  fire. 

5.  Require   regular   and   periodic   fire   drills   in   factories,   stores,   schools, 

theatres,  moving  picture  shows,  hospitals  and  asylums. 

6.  Declare  a  building  which  is  deficient  in  fire  extinguishing  equipment. 

or  which  by  reason  of  contents   or  overcrowding  is   perilous   to   life 
and  property  to  be  a  nuisance. 

7.  Abate   such  nuisance  by  compelling  the   owner  to  place   the   building 

in  a  condition  of  safety. 

SPECIAL  INSPECTORS 

As  already  suggested,  this  inspection  work  can  be  best  performed  by 
members  of  the  uniformed  force,  but  if  the  Council  decides  not  to  establish 
a  paid  fire  service,  then  Council  should  provide  for  the  appointment  of 
uniformed  inspectors,  three  in  number,  to  serve  under  the  direction  of  the 
fire  prevention  commission. 

SYSTEM  OF  REPORTS 

A  report  upon  each  inspection  should  be  made  upon  especially  provided 
printed  forms.  These  forms  should  be  upon  cards  so  as  to  create  a  card 
record  of  all  the  buildings  in  the  City  of  Reading.  The  information  called 
for  by  these  inspection  blanks  should  be  sufficiently  detailed  to  furnish  a 
comprehensive  story  of  the  building  and  its  interior  equipment.  Upon  the 
back  of  each  card  should  be  placed  a  sketch  of  the  building  and  the  floor 
plans  showing  the  location  of  fire  escapes,  hatchways,  sprinkler  systems, 
stand  pipes,  electric  switches,  sprinkler  cut-offs,  etc. 

SALE  OF  EXPLOSIVES  REGULATED. 

The  ordinance  should  include  specific  regulations  governing  the  sale, 
storage  and  transportation  of  all  combustibles,  explosives  and  inflammable 
materials.  The  licensing  of  all  such  places  should  be  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  fire  prevention  commission,  the  executive  head  of  which  should  be 
the  chief  of  the  fire  department.  All  stores  selling  kerosene  or  other 
illuminating  oils  should  be  licensed,  as  should  also,  all  cleaning  establish- 
ments using  naptha,  gasoline,,  or  other  combustible  liquids.  The  present 
restrictions  of  the  State  law  governing  the  sale  of  explosives  should  be 
improved  upon  in  this  ordinance,  and  the  restrictions  surrounding  the  sale, 
storage  and  transportation  of  combustibles  made  more  stringent. 

FIRE  EXTINGUISHMENT 

In    the    matter    of    fire    extinguishment    the    important    factors    are    the 


O)) 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


training  of  the  firemen,  the  distribution  of  the  fire  lighting  force,  the  equip- 
ment and  apparatus,  and  the  supervision  thereof. 

The  training  of  firemen  is  fully  discussed  in  another  section  of  this  report, 
and  the  recommendations  made  applying  to  either  a  paid  service  or  a 
volunteer   service. 

Based  upon  an  examination  of  the  city,,  an  analysis  of  the  National  Board 
of  Underwriters,  and  a  conference  with  the  engineers  of  that  organization, 
the  distribution  of  the  force  recommended  in  their  report,  which  is  as  fol- 
lows, is  concurred  in. 

RECOMMENDED   LOCATION  AND   EQUIPMENT  OF   COMPANIES 
ON  FULLY  PAID  BASIS. 

Company  Men  Location  Equipment 

Engine 9     Walnut    and    Reed    iSts.      Horse-drawn      steam      fire 

(Junior)  engine    and    horse-drawn 

combination  wagon 

Engine 8     Spruce    and    Maple    Sts.     Automobile        combination 

(With    Ladder   2)  pump,  chem'ical  and  hose 

wagon 

Engine 8     Greenwich   and   Eleventh     Automobile       combination 

Sts.    (Hampden)  pump,  chemical  and  hose 

wagon 

Engine 9     Marion    and    Ninth    Sts.     Tractor-drawn    engine    and 

(Marion)  automobile     combination 

hose  wagon 

Engine 9     Spring     St.     and     Centre     Tractor-drawn    engine    and 

Ave.  automobile     combination 

hose  wagon 

Engine 8     15th  and  Muhlenberg  Sts.     Horse-drawn      steam      fire 

(Union)  engine    and    horse-drawn 

combination  wagon 
Hose     and     Auxiliary     8th  and  Court  Sts.  (Rain-     Automobile       combination 
squad     9         bow)  hose     wagon;      also     re- 

serve hose  wagon  with 
1000  feet  of  3-inch  hose 
and   a   turret   pipe 

Hose 7     Penn     and     Second     Sts.     Automobile        combination 

(With  Ladder  1)  hose    wagon 

Hose 6     Chestnut    and    Fifth    Sts.     Horse-drawn     combination 

hose  wagon 

Hose 6     Schuylk'll   Ave.   &   Green     Horse-drawn     combination 

St.   (Schuylkill)  hose   wagon 

Hose 6     Exeter    and     Front     Sts.     Horse-drawn     combination 

(Riverside)  hose  wagon 

Ladder    1 8     Penn     and     Second     Sts.     75'  aerial   horse-drawn 

(Keystone) 

Ladder    2 8     Spruce     and     Maple     Sts.     65'  aerial,  horse-drawn 

(Washington) 

Ladder    3 6     Ninth     and     Marion     Sts.     55'  automobile       service 

(Marion)  (new) 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  .  223 


Especially  important  in  this  recommendation  is  the  suggestion  of  estab- 
lishing an  auxiliary  squad  at  Eighth  and  Court  streets.  This  auxiliary  squad 
could  be  a  most  efficient  aid  if  care  is  taken  to  arrange  the  meal  hours  so 
that  there  will  always  be  a  force  present  to  man  the  apparatus  during  the 
meal  hours  of  other  companies. 

» 

EQUIPMENT  AND  APPARATUS. 

Under  the  plan  of  distribution  of  the  force  suggested  above,  provision 
is  made  for  an  equitable  distribution  of  the  apparatus  and  equipment.  While 
most  of  the  equipment  and  apparatus  at  present  in  use  is  in  good  condition, 
the  lack  of  supervision  and  centralized  control  over  the  apparatus,,  militates 
against  efficiency  in  maintenance,  and  in  time  even  the  new  apparatus  will 
suffer. 

All  repairs  to  apparatus  are  now  performed  under  contract  by  persons 
not  connected  with  the  department.  Thus  considerable  delay  is  caused  and 
extensive  repairs  frequently  result  from  simple  defects,  which,  if  remedied 
promptly,  would  have  saved  considerable  expense.  It  is,  therefore,  recom- 
mended that  Council  establish  a  departmental  repair  shop  under  the  direction 
of  the  chief  mechanic  and  instructor.  The  necessary  equipment  for  such  a 
repair  shop  is  suggested  by  Chief  Demarest,  of  the  New  York  Fire  Depart- 
ment, in  a  paper  read  before  the  International  Association  of  Fire  Engineers. 
The  equipment  which  he  recommends,  a  list  of  which  follows,  was  con- 
sidered by  a  number  of  fire  experts  to  be  an  economical  and  efficient  equip- 
ment.    The  estimated  cost  of  the  equipment  installed  is  $5,000. 

A   REPAIR  SHOP  IN  A   SMALL  DEPARTMENT   SHOULD   BE 
EQUIPPED  WITH 

1   Engine   Lathe,   18  in.  swing,   10  ft.  long 
t   Drill  press,  22-in.  table. 
1  Vise 

1  Grindstone 
1   Blacksmith  forge 

1   Portable  crane,  2,000  lbs.  capacity,  for  lifting  out  the  motor,  transmis- 
sion,, etc. 
1   Hydraulic  hose   expander 

1  Hose  .testing  outfit 

2  or  more  electric  drills  for  holes  up  to  one  inch,  portable 
A  tire  repairing  outfit 

In  this  shop  all  repairs  to  the  apparatus  should  be  made  and  minor 
equipment,  such  as  hose  holders,  etc.,  manufactured. 

Proper  cost  records  should  be  kept  in  connection  with  the  operation 
of  the  machine  shop  so  that  the  cost  of  each  individual  repair  job  may  be 
easily  ascertained.  In  determining  the  unit  cost  of  repairs,  the  salary  of  the 
chief  mechanic  should  be  included. 

HOSE  SHOULD  BE  TESTED. 

Hose  is  purchased  by  each  of  the  respective  companies  without  specifica- 
tions and  without  any  definite  rules  governing  the  manner  of  purchase  and 


!24  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


test.  Consequently  much  of  the  hose  now  in  use  is  in  poor  condition,  and 
will  have  to  be  replaced.  With  the  establishment  of  the  departmental  repair 
shop,  recommended  herein,  proper  apparatus  for  the  testing  of  hose  will  be 
available,,  and  all  hose  purchased  may  be  subjected  to  a  test. 

MINOR  EQUIPMENT. 

Ladder  trucks  are  deficient  in  their  minor  equipment,  as  are  also  some 
of  the  hose  wagons.  This  is  particularly  true  of  lanterns  and  searchlights 
for  ues  in  night  fires.  The  department  depends  entirely  upon  the  ordinary 
oil  lantern,  and  does  not  even  maintain  a  sufficient  number  of  these.  Every 
ladder  truck  should  be  provided  with  a  reserve  supply  of  acetylene  torches, 
and  a  large  portable  searchlight  should  be  kept  in  one  of  the  houses  in 
the   congested  mercantile  district. 

An  acetylene  and  oxygen  burner  for  melting  steel  bars  should  be  carried 
oh  one  of  the  trucks  in  the  congested  district. 

RULES  AND  REGULATIONS. 

At  present  there  is  set  of  rules  and  regulations  promulgated  by  the  fire- 
men's union  which  is  in  effect  a  set  of  by-laws.  Immediately  upon  the  forma- 
tion of  a  paid  department  the  chief  should  promulgate  to  the  force  in  book 
form  the  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  conduct  of  the  firemen  at  the 
fire  houses  and  at  fires.  These  rules  should  prohibit  members  of  the  depart- 
ment from  being  members  of  any  political  organization  or  contributing  or 
soliciting  contributions  or  campaign  funds.  The  rules  should  be  definite 
in  their  character  and  indexed.  They  should  be  printed  upon  loose  leaf 
pages,  so  that  as  they  are  amended  from  time  to  time,  the  amendments 
can  be  inserted  in  their  proper  place  in  the  book  without  having  to  reprint 
the  entire  rules  and  regulations. 

AMBULANCE  SERVICE. 

There  are  two  ambulances  maintained  by  the  city  at  a  cost  of  $1200  a 
year  each.  These  ambulances  are  the  property  of  the  respective  fire  com- 
panies operating  them.  In  the  event  of  the  establishment  of  a  paid  depart- 
ment these  ambulances  should  be  operated  by  the  hospitals  and  maintained 
by  the  city.  Arrangements  should  be  made  to  have  a  doctor  from  the  hospi- 
tal accompany  the  ambulances  when  responding  to  calls.  As  both  of  these 
ambulances  were  gifts  to  the  fire  companies  with  the  understanding,  of 
course,  that  they  be  maintained  as  an  ambulance  service  for  the  public, 
there  could  scarcely  be  any  objection  to  their  transfer  so  long  as  the  city 
continues  to  maintain  them  for  public  use. 

The  ambulance  service  should  be  under  control  of  the  police  department. 
If,,  however,  it  is  determined  to  continue  the  volunteer  service,  a  proper 
system  of  records  should  be  inaugurated  for  the  ambulance  service  and  the 
supervision  of  the  ambulances  should  be  placed  in  charge  of  the  police 
instead  of  the  fire  department. 

UNIFORMS  AND  EQUIPMENT  FOR  FIREMEN. 

As  a  part  of  the  initial  cost  in  organizing  a  paid  department  provision 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  225 


must  be  made  for  furnishing  the  in  members  of  the  department  with  rubber 
coats,  boots,  firehelmets,  belts  and  badges.  This  item  will  amount  to  about 
$2,000. 

The  second  item  of  cost  to  be  provided  for  is  beds  and  bedding  for  the 
members  of  the  force  to  be  placed  in  the  dormitories  at  the  respective  fire 
"houses.  This  item  also  represents  an  expenditure  of  about  $2,000.  The  uni- 
form should  be  provided  by  the  members  themselves  and  it  is  suggested  that 
the  plan  of  purchasing  now  in  operation  in  the  police  department  be  adopted 
by  the  proposed  bureau  of  fire. 


FIRE  ALARM  AND  TELEGRAPH  SYSTEM 

ALL  WIRING  OVERHEAD. 

All  of  the  wiring  of  the  fire  alarm  telegraph  system  is  overhead,  not- 
withstanding that  the  use  of  overhead  wires  in  the  congested  parts  of  cities 
has  long  since  been  condemned.  The  wires  are  carried  on  the  telephone 
and  telegraph  company's  poles,  and  considerable  wire  troble  is  experienced 
because  the  tire  alarm  wires  come  in  contact  with  high  tension  electric 
light  wires.  This  is  true,,  notwithstanding  that  there  are  almost  three  miles 
of  conduit  available  in  which  the  fire  alarm  wires  could  be  carried.  Council 
should  provide  at  once  for  the  placing  underground  and  in  conduits  the 
wires  in  the  congested  mercantile  districts. 

ALARM    SYSTEM   IN   DANGER   OF  DESTRUCTION   BY   FIRE. 

Notwithstanding  that  no  part  of  the  fire  department  is  more  important 
and  demands  more  attention  than  the  fire  alarm  telegraph  division,  nothing 
is  conducive  to  greater  fire  loss  than  inefficiency  of  the  telegraph  system. 
The  fire  alarm  system  of  Reading  is  constantly  in  danger  of  complete  destruc- 
tion from  fire  because  it  is  located  in  a  non-fire  resisting  building  of  joisted, 
brick   construction,   surrounded  by   extremely  hazardous   conditions. 

The  fire  department  must  depend  for  notification  of  fires  upon  the  fire 
alarm  system.  All  of  the  apparatus  controlling  this  system  is  housed  in  a 
small  room  at  the  city  hall.  The  building  is  non-fire  resisting,  and  the  room 
itself  is  in  constant  danger  of  destruction  by  fire,  because  of  the  amount 
of  wood  trim,  the  absence  of  any  window  protection,  poor  wiring,  and  the 
unnecessarily  large  amount  of  wood  work  on  the  switchboard  and  the  instru- 
ment mountings. 

When  it  is  realized  that  in  the  sending  and  receiving  of  fire  alarms,,  time 
must  be  measured  by  fractions  of  seconds,  and  that  a  minute's  delay  in  the 
sending  or  receiving  of  an  alarm  may  mean  a  conflagration,  it  should  not 
"be  difficult  to  understand  the  imperative  need  for  removing  the  fire  alarm 
telegraph  system  from  this  room  and  placing  it  in  a  fire-resisting  structure, 
protected  against  any  chance  of  fire  from  ordinary  causes. 

It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that  a  specially-constructed  concrete  build- 
ing be  provided.  Such  a  building  could  be  constructed  on  the  lot  at  the 
rear  of  city  hall  or  in  the  yard  of  almost  any  of  the  fire  houses  at  a  cost  not 
to  exceed  $2,000.  The  building  need  not  exceed  16  x  30  feet  and  two  stories 
in  height.    This  would  provide  for  a  fire  resisting  room  in  which  to  preserve 


:26  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


the  batteries,  a  fire-resisting  room  in  which  to  house  the  telegraph  system, 
and  a  workshop  in  which  to  make  ordinary  repairs  and  store  supplies. 

The  room  in  which  the  batteries  are  now  kept,  in  the  cellar  of  the  city 
hall,  is  equally  non-fire  resisting,  and  difficult  of  maintaining  an  even  tem- 
perature. 

The  fact  that  there  have  already  been  fires  in  the  present  apparatus  room 
should  serve  to  impress  upon  Council  the  need  for  the  removal  of  the  fire 
alarm  system  from  the  present  location  in  the  city  hall,  as  recommended. 
This  change  should  be  made  regardless  of  whether  a  paid  department  is 
established  or  not. 

DEPARTMENT  TELEPHONE  SYSTEM  NEEDED. 

The  majority  of  alarms  of  fire  are  sent  in  over  the  telephone.  This 
makes  the  telephone  system  a  most  important  part  of  the  alarm  system. 
At  present  each  of  the  fire  companies  has  a  telephone  which  is  on  a  separate 
exchange,  and  over  which  the  department  has  no  more  control  than  any 
ordinary  telephone  subscriber. 

A  central  system  of  telephone  should  be  installed  so  that  all  of  the  fire 
houses  may  be  connected  through  a  central  switchboard  at  fire  headquarters. 

Some  of  the  telephones  at  the  fire  houses  are  on  party  lines,  a  condition 
which  should  be  relieved  as  speedily  as  possible  regardless  of  whether  a  cen- 
tral  exchange  is  installed   or  not. 

NO  RED  LIGHTS  OVER  FIRE  BOXES. 

While  the  distribution  of  the  telegraph  fire  boxes  throughout  the  city 
may  be  said  to  be  good,  there  are  no  red  lights  provided  to  indicate  the 
location  of  the  boxes  during  the  night.  Council  should  provide  for  the 
placing  of  the  boxes  upon  pedestals  with  a  red  light  over  them  for  use  in 
the  night  time. 

RECORDS. 

Scarcely  any  records  are  maintained  by  the  fire  alarm  and  telegraph 
bureau.  This  is  perhaps  due  to  the  fact  that  the  superintendent,  who  is  also 
the  superintendent  of  the  police  signal  system,,  devotes  most  of  his  time 
to  outside  work,  and  there  is  only  one  assistant  who  serves  also  for  both 
department.  Adequate  records  are  necessary  for  protection  of  the  city  as 
well  as  for  the  protection  of  the  fire  department  itself.  Proper  records 
and  reports,  therefore,  should  be  required  by  the  rules  of  the  department. 

The  superintendent  should  furnish  the  chief  with  a  daily  report  con- 
taining the  following  information: 

i_The  time  of  receipt  and  box   number  of  each   alarm. 

2_The  time  of  receipt  of   each   telephone   or   still    alarm    and    the   name 
of  the  person  sending  such  alarm. 

3__Time  each  fire  was  "struck  out." 

_j. — Number  of  the  alarm. 

5— Number  of  alarms  received  up  to  the  same  date  of  the  preceding  year. 

6— Number  of  telephone  messages  received  and   sent  out. 

7_Number  of  complaints  received  over  the  telephone. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  227 


8 — Numbr  and  character  of  complaints  received  concerning  the  telegraph 

system. 
9 — Number  and  character  of  complaints  of  wire  trouble. 
10 — Time  tests  which  were  made  and  the  results  of  the  tests, 
n — Number  of  boxes  inspected  during  the  day. 
12 — Number  found  perfect. 
13 — Number  found  defective. 
14— Number  repaired. 

15 — Amount  of  new  wire  in  feet  used  during  the  24  hours. 
16 — Amount  of  wire  in    feet   condemned. 
17 — Amount  of  wire  repaired. 

18 — Amount  and  description  of  new  supplies   received. 
19 — Amount  and  description  of  supplies  used. 
20 — Remarks. 
*  Under  the   heading   "remarks,"   the   superintendent    should   report   to   the 
chief  any  unusual  occurrences  in  connection  with  his  bureau  during  the  day, 
and    any    recommendations    concerning    improvements    in    the    system    which 
he  may  desire  to  make  or  suggest. 

WATER   REPORT. 

A  printed  form,  to  be  known  as  the  water  report,,  should  be  provided. 
This  form  should  be  used  for  the  operators  to  report  the  shutting  off  of 
water  in  various  sections  of  the  city.  The  report  should  contain,  among 
others,  the   following  printed   headings: 

Date,  day  of  week month year. 

Time   of   receipt. 

By  whom  telephoned. 

Time  and  location  of  shut-oft"  of  water. 

Territory  affected  by  shut-off. 

Engine   companies   and   commanding  officers   notified. 

Time  notified. 

Name  of  fireman  or  district  officer  receiving  the  message. 

Signature  of  operator. 

After  being  telephoned  to  the  lire  houses  affected  by  the  shut-off,  this 
report  should  be  forwarded  to  the  chitf  of  the  department  and  filed  in  his 
office. 

LINEMAN'S  TIME  SHEET. 

The  assistant  superintendent  and  the  lineman  should  be  required  to  keep 
a  daily  time  sheet  upon  printed  forms  provided  by  the  department.  These 
time  sheets  should  be  filed  daily  and  should  show: 

1 — Time  reported  for  work 

2 — Time  consumed  upon  each  repair  job  or  assignment 

3 — Time  of  quitting  work  at  the  end  of  each  day 

4 — Number  of  hours  consumed  upon  assignments 

5 — Total  number  of  hours'  service  for  the  day 

ASSIGNMENT  AND  REPAIR  BLANKS. 

In    connection    with    the    operation    of   the    fire    alarm    telegraph    bureau. 


228  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


accurate  cost  accounts  should  be  maintained,  and  for  this  purpose  repair 
blanks  should  be  provided.  Upon  the  blank  the  lineman  or  superintendent 
should  be  required  to  report  the  location  of  the  job,  the  material  used  upon 
the  job,  character  of  the  repairs  made,  and  the  time  consumed  in  completing 
the  assignment.  Space  should  be  provided  to  enter  the  actual  cost  of  the 
job,  the  salaries  of  the  lineman  or  the  superintendent  to  be  included  in  the 
establishment  of  a  unit  cost. 

WIRE  TROUBLE  RECORD. 

An  accurate  record  of  all  wire  trouble  should  be  maintained  in  a  book 
to  be  known  as  a  wire  trouble  record.  This  book  should  show  the  time, 
date  of  opening  and  closing  circuits,  and  the  time  of  all  "grounds."  All 
matters  affecting  wiring  should  be  recorded  in  this  book. 

» 
RECORD  OF  SUPPLIES. 

An  accurate  record  of  all  supplies  received  and  the  disposition  of  same 
should  be  maintained.  This  record  should  show  the  date  and  time  received, 
-quantity  and  the  detailed  description  of  the  supplies.  It  should  show  like- 
wise the  supplies  used,  the  time,  date,  and  purpose  for  which  used. 

Records  should  also  give  information  concerning  the  inspection  and 
testing  of  supplies,  showing  when  and  by  whom  they  were  inspected  and 
tested,  and  the  process  used  in  making  the  test.  A  recapitulation  should 
"be  made  at  the  end  of  each  week  so  as  to  afford  a  continuous  inventory  of 
the   stock. 

LOG  BOOK  FOR  TELEGRAPH  OPERATORS. 

A  log  book  should  be  maintained  in  the  office  of  the  superintendent, 
in  which  should  be  entered  chronologically  all  operations  and  matters  affect- 
ing the  fire  alarm  system.  The  rules  governing  the  maintenance  of  the  log 
"books  at  fire  stations  should  apply  to  the  log  book  of  the  fire  alarm  telegraph 
system. 

MAPS  AND  CHARTS. 

Ttye  superintendent  should  be  supplied  with  a  map  showing  the  location 
•of  all  the  wires,,  poles,  conduits,  signal  boxes  and  fire  stations  in  the  city. 
This  map  should  be  kept  up  to  date  at  all  times.  The  different  types  of  box 
and  the  number  of  circuits  should  be  clearly  indicated  thereon. 

Each  fire  station  should  be  furnished  with  a  map  showing  the  location 
of  all  water  mains,  the  size  and  age  of  the  mains,  the  location  and  size  of 
gates,  and  the  location  of  hydrants.  Some  of  the  fire  stations  are  already 
equipped  with  such  maps  but  they  have  not  been  kept  up  to  date.  Each 
station  should  also  have  charts  describing  the  properties  within  the  fire  dis- 
trict and  indicating  the  location  in  each  of  the  buildings,  of  elevator  shafts, 
hatchways,  electric  wiring,  switchboards,  sprinklers  and  sprinkler  cut-offs, 
water  tanks  and  their  capacity,  stand  pipes  and  their  connection  and  the 
respective  permanent  weights  upon  each  of  the  floors. 

The  firemen  should  be  required  to  study  these  charts  and  to  become 
familiar  with  the  properties  in  their  respective  districts.     They  should  like- 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  229 


wise  be  familiar  with  the  location  of  the  fire  hydrants,  the  water  mains,  and 
the  information  contained  on  the  maps.  The  captains  should  examine  the 
members  of  their  commands  from  time  to  time  in  order  to  learn  whether 
the  firemen  are  making  proper  use  of  their  spare  time. 


FIRE  HOUSE  DRILLS. 

Captains  should  be  required  to  drill  the  members  of  their  command  each 
day  at  the  fire  houses.  The  drill  should  consist,  in  clear  weather,  of  an 
apparatus  drill  outdoors.  In  stormy  weather  the  drill  should  consist  of 
setting-up  exercises  and  ordinary  gymnastics  which  do  riot  require  the  use 
of  apparatus.  Company  commanders  should  arrange  so  that  the  hour  for 
drills  would  be  scheduled  at  different  times  for  different  companies  in  order 
that  no  two  companies  in  the  one  vicinity  would  be  drilling  at  the  same  hour. 


BUSINESS  MANAGEMENT 

The  business  management  of  the  department  should  be  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  superintendent  of  public  safety.  All  supplies  for  the  department 
should  be  purchased  through  the  central  purchasing  agency  for  the  city 
and  under  contract  and  standard  specifications.  All  hose  should  be  purchased 
by  competitive  bidding  upon  definite  specifications.  The  storeroom  for 
supplies  should  be  under  the  control  of  the  central  purchasing  agency  and 
supplies  should  be  furnished  to  the  respective  fire  companies  only  upon 
written  requisitions  and  with  the  approval  of  the  chief  of  the  department. 
The  form  of  requisition  for  supplies  should  correspond  to  that  recommended 
for  the  general  use  of  the  city  departments. 

All  apparatus  for  the  department  should  be  selected  jointly  by  the 
superintendent  of  public  safety  and  the  chief  of  the  department. 


RECORDS  AND  REPORTS 

In  the  supervision  of  the  fire  department,  records  play  a  most  important 
part.  From  proper  records  the  efficiency  or  inefficiency  of  the  force  can 
be  determined.  Proper  detailed  records  are  necessary  as  a  guide  to  the 
Council  in  the  adoption  of  ordinances  relating  to  fire  prevention,  and  to  the 
State  in  compiling  statistical  data  relating  to  fire  waste. 

The  records  of  Reading's  fire  department  are  inadequate  in  that  they 
lack  specific  information  properly  compiled.  There  are  no  rules  governing 
the  keeping  of  records,  and  in  consequence  no  two  companies  maintain 
similar  records.  The  records  of  an  individual  company,  such  as  they  are, 
are  the  property  of  the  respective  volunteer  organizations,  and  in  no  sense 
are  they  official  records.  The  only  record  kept  by  the  chief  of  the  depart- 
ment is  a  large  book  with  printed  headings  in  which  is  kept  a  record  of  fires. 

The  fact  that  the  department  is  a  volunteer  organization  should  not: 
deprive  the  city  of  adequate  records  concerning  its  fire  waste  and  the  opera- 
tion of  the  fire  department. 


23Q  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


PROPER  RECORD  SYSTEM  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED  AT 
ONCE. 

The   records   of  a  volunteer  organization  should   in  no  wise  differ  from 
those  maintained  by  a  properly-organized,  paid  department.     Council  should 
provide,  irrespective   of  whether  a  paid  department   is   established,  a  proper 
system  of  records  and  reports.    This  system  should  be  planned  by  the  admin- 
istrative  head,   the   superintendent   of   public   safety,   and   should   provide   for 
the  accurate  and  concise  recording  of  all  activities  of  the  force.     The  system 
of  records  should  include  the  following: 
i — Proper  fire   service   reports 
2 — Individual  company  fire  reports 
3 — A  properly-planned  fire  service  record  book 
4 — Reports   upon  bursting  hose 
5 — Daily  time  sheets  for  each  fire  company 
6 — A  log  book  for  each  fire  company 
7 — Complete  description  of  all  buildings  in  the  district  (this  to  be  a  card 

r|:cord  system  maintained  at  each  fire  company's  headquarters) 
8 — Card  records  of  individual  members  of  the  force 
9 — Fire  prevention  inspection  reports 

io — Monthly  reports  upon  condition  of  apparatus  and  equipment 
ii — Health  reports  of  members  of  the  force 
12 — Individual  efficiency  records 

13 — Records  in  connection  with  the  training  school  for  firemen 
14 — Proper  records  of  charges  and  disposition  of  charges  against  mem- 
bers of  the  force 
15 — Record  of  complaints 
16— Record   of  places   licensed   to   sell,   store,   or   manufacture   explosives 

or  combustibles,,  and  of  persons  licensed  to  transport  same 
17 — A  record  and  description  of  moving  picture  shows,  theatres  and  all 

places  where  large  assemblages  are  permitted. 
18 — Daily  reports  by  the  firemen  assigned  to  the  theatres 
19 — Fire   hydrant   report 
20 — Horse   records 
21 — Reports  on  fire  drills  at  stations 
22 — Record  of  assignment  and  transfers 
23 — Record  of  fire  stations 
24 — Hose  records 
25 — Surgical  records 

FIRE  SERVICE  REPORT. 

Printed  forms  to  be  known  as  the  "Fire  Service  Report"  should  be  pre- 
pared and  furnished  to  each  fire  company.  The  headings  on  this  form 
should  include  the  following: 

Number   of  alarms   sent   in  to   date 

Location  of  fire 

Duration   of  fire hours minutes 

Date 

Day  of  week 
Time  alarm  was   received 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  231 


Time  of  signal  "Out" 

First  company  to  arrive 

Time  of  arrival 

Alarm  received  by  box  signal  No. 

Alarm  received  by  telephone  from  telegraph  bureau 

Alarm  received  from  outside  telephone orally any  other  manner 

Alarm  communicated  by 

Cause  of  fire Fire Unnecessary False  alarm 

Other   cause 
Description   of  building 
Stories  high 

Building    constructed    of Fire-resisting Semi-fire-resist- 

ing Non-fire-resisting 

(Accurate  description  of  building  construction  such  as  brick,  con- 
crete, steel,  frame,  etc.) 

Character   of  building Tenement 

Private  dwelling Factory 

Loft  building etc. 

Size  (area) 

Name  of  owner 

Address  of  owner 

Name  of  occupants   of  part   of  building   affected   by   fire 

Name  of  other  occupants  and  floors  occupied 

Part  of  building  where  fire  originated 

Cause  of  fire 

Fire  extended  to 

Amount  of  insurance:   Buildings Effects 

Estimated  loss :  Buildings Effects 

Apparatus    responding   to   alarm: 
First  alarm: 

Engine  Company  No Truck  Company  No 

Chemical Fuel  Wagon 

Second  alarm: 

Engine  Company  No Truck  Company  No 

Chemical Fuel  Wagon 

Third  alarm: 

Engine  Company  No Truck  Company  No 

Chemical Fuel  Wagon 

General   alarm: 

Engine  Company  No Truck  Company  No 

Chemical Fuel  Wagon 

Number  of  men  on  fire  grounds,   chief  officers Company   officers 

Men (If  volunteer  service  is  retained,  the  names  of  the 

members  of  the   company  who  took  part  in  fighting  the   fire,  or  who 
responded  to  the  alarm,  should  appear  under  this  heading) 
Absentees:  (If  paid  service,  under  this  heading  should  appear  the  names 

of  the  company  absent  and  the  cause  of  their  absence) 
Time  second  alarm  was  ordered 

Time,  by  whom  ordered,  by  whom  sent  in.  and  box  number 
Time  of  each  subsequent  alarm,  by  whom  ordered,  by  whom  sent  in,  and 
box    number. 


232  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


On  the  reverse  side,  space  should  be  provided  for  a  record  of  all  officers 
present  at  fire,  arranged  in  order  of  rank.  This  record  should  include  the 
time  these  officers  arrived  at  fire  and,  the  time  they  left. 

The  lower  half  of  the  form  should  be  devoted  to  a  complete  and  detailed 
description  of  the  methods  used  in  extinguishing  the  fire,  i.  e.,  by  chemical, 
water  line,  or  other  means.  Under  the  heading  "remarks"  should  appear 
a  detailed  description  of  any  accidents  or  rescues  in  connection  with  the 
fire  or  with  the  apparatus  while  en  route. 

This  service  report  should  be  .  made  out  in  duplicate  by  the  first  captain 
to  arrive  at  the  fire,  or  by  the  assistant  chief  in  whose  district  the  fire  occurs. 
One  copy  should  be  furnished  tn  the  chief  of  the  department  and  the  second 
copy  should  be  forwarded  to  the  superintendent  of  public  safety.  The  forms 
should  be  of  a  size  which  would  permit  of  binding  in  convenient  book  form. 
Upon  the  copy  to  be  filed  with  the  superintendent  of  public  safety  there 
should  appear  printed  at  the  top  the  following  headings: 

i.    Number  of  fires  to  date  'during  the  present  year. 

2.  Number  of  false  alarms  to  date. 

3.  Total   number   of  fires   during  the   preceding  year.     Total   number   of 

fires  up  to  the  same  date  of  the  preceding  year. 

4.  Total  number  of  false  alarms  during  the  preceding  year.     Total  num- 

ber of  false  alarms  up  to  the  same  date  during  the  preceding  year. 
The  information  called  for  should  be  filled  in  by  the  chief  of  the  depart- 
ment before  the   report  is  filed  with  the   superintendent.     It  should   then  be 
entered  in  the  fire  service  record  book,  which  should  have  printed  headings 
corresponding  to  the  headings  upon  this  form. 

INDIVIDUAL  COMPANY  FIRE  REPORTS. 

Each  company  should  be  provided  with  printed  fire  report  cards.  A 
separate  report,  from  each  company  attending  a  fire,  upon  the  activities  of 
the  company  at  the  fire,  should  be  filed  with  the  chief  of  the  department. 
This  report  form  should  be  upon  a  card  not  to  exceed  5x8  inches.  it 
should  have  among  other  headings  the   following: 

Report  of  fire  No .During  the  year  19 

(The   number   of  the   fire   should  be   written   in   at   fire   headquarters, 
and  not  by  the  fire  company) 

Engine  company  No ...Truck  company  No 

Fire  No Attended  by  this  company  during  19 

Month Day 

Report   of  fire   at   No Street 

Alarm    received    by    telegraph Telephone.. 

Local 

Time  alarm  was  received 

Time  (if  engine  company)  consumed  in  reaching  and  coupling  to  hydrant 

Location  of  hydrant  coupled  to 

Time  delayed 

Cause  of  delay 

The  hydrant  was   found  in condition,  and  was used 

with pounds    for hours minutes,    and 

with pounds  water  pressure  for.  . hours 

i  minutes. 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  233 


Number  of  gallons  of  water  used 

Reported  to and  were  ordered  D3r 

Number  of  minutes  consumed  in  getting  a  stream  on  the  fire 

Amount  of  delay,  if  any,  and  reason 

The  pipe  was  taken  to and inch  stream  kept  there 

and minutes    then    taken   to for 

hours minutes then  taken  to 

for hours minutes. 

The   supply  of  water  was 

The  company  was  out  of  quarters hours. minutes 

The  company  was  at  the  fire hours minutes 

The    average    pressure    on    line    was lbs and    the    hose 

pressure  was pounds 

feet  of in.  hose  used in.  nozzle 

Number  of  feet  of  ladders  used   (if  truck  company) 

On  the  reverse  side  of  this  report  should  appear  headings  calling  for 
remarks  concerning  the  property  lost,  found  or  destroyed,  accidents,  etc. 
There  should  also  appear  the  list  of  officers  and  men  who  attended  the  fire 
(if  paid  department)  and  the  names  of  those  who  did  not  attend,  with  the 
reason  for  their  absence.  This  report  should  be  signed  by  the  commanding 
officer  of  the  company. 

Companies  using  chemicals  should  be  required  to  state  in  detail  on  the 
back  of  this  report,  under  the  heading  of  "remarks,"  the  amount  of  chemicals 
used  at  the  fire,  the  time  the  stream  was  first  turned  on,  and  any  difficulty 
experienced  with  the  apparatus. 

This  individual  fire  company  report  is  a  most  important  record,  and 
should  be  filled  out  with  as  much  detail  as  possible  and,  of  course,  with  the 
greatest  accuracy.  To  the  practical  fireman  this  report  will  seem  difficult 
to  prepare,  and  the  argument  will  be  made  that  it  is  impossible  to  record 
with  accuracy  the  information  called  for,  because  of  the  speed  with  which 
the  firemen  must  work.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  in  the  beginning  this 
record  will  be  absolutely  accurate,  but  it  is  maintained  that  such  a  record 
can  be  made  with  the  necessary  accuracy  without  interfering  with  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  routine  fire- lighter.  It  is  especially  important  as  a  protection 
t<>  the  department,  and  a  guide  to  the  chief  in  the  administration  of  the  force. 

TIME  RECORDS  FOR  EACH  FIRE  HOUSE. 

Specially  printed  forms,  to  be  known  as  the  Daily  Time  Sheet,  should 
be  provided  at  each  fire  station.  This  record  should  be  maintained  by  the 
Captain  or  foreman,  and  should  show  the  following  concerning  the  activities 
of  the  force  under  his  command  for  each  24  hours: 

t.     Each  roll  call 

2.     Names  of  absentees 

4.  Cause  of  absence 

5.  Time  consumed  by  the  foremen  for  meals 

6.  Time  consumed  at  fires 

7.  Time  on  watch 

&     Number   of  times   horses   hitched 

This  report  should  be  filled  out  each  morning  before  nine  o'clock,  and 
forwarded  to  the  office  ^'\  the  chief  of  the  department.     From  these  reports 


234  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


of  the  various  companies  the  chief  should  prepare  a  consolidated  report 
which  should  be  known  as  the  Consolidated  Morning  Return.  This  should 
"be  filed  with  the  superintendent  of  public  safety. 

In  addition  to  the  information  called  for  by  the  above  headings,  the 
•daily  time  sheet  should  also  show  any  injury  to  the  property  of  the  depart- 
ment. Thus  by  ten  o'clock  each  morning  the  chief  of  the  department  and 
the  superintendent  of  public  safety  would  have  before  them  a  detailed  report 
of  the  force  for  the  preceding  24  hours.  After  having  been  reviewed,,  these 
time  sheets  should  be  properly  filed  and  used  as  the  basis  of  the  monthly 
time   service  report,  from  which  the  pay  rolls   should  be  prepared. 

The  form  of  the  time  sheets  and  the  headings  suggested  above  woiyld 
need  to  be  modified  in  case  the  volunteer  service  should  be  continued.  In 
that  event  the  records  should  show  the  time  spent  by  the  members  of  the 
company  at  the  fire  house  each  day.  In  the  case  of  paid  employees,  such 
as  drivers,  janitors  and  others,  detailed  information  of  the  services  performed 
by  them  each  day  should  be  embodied  in  this  report. 

COMPANY  LOG  BOOK. 

Each  fire  company  should  be  required  to  maintain  a  log  book,  giving  a 
-chronological  history  of  the  activities  of  each  fire  company,  arranged  accord- 
ing to  a  specified  form.  This  book  should  be  uniform  throughout  the 
service,  and  entries  therein  should  be  made  in  a  uniform  manner,  so  as  to 
show  roll  calls,  record  of  meal  time,  absences,  fires  and  all  other  activities 
in  which  each  company  or  its  members  may  be  engaged  from  time  to  time. 

Across  the  top  line  of  each  page  should  be  written  the  day  of  the  week, 
the  month  and  the  year;  each  day  should  begin  at  the  top  of  a  page.  A 
marginal  red  line  should  be  drawn  the  length  of  the  page,  allowing  two 
inches  on  the  left.  All  entries  should  be  made  in  chronological  order  as  they 
occur,  and  the  time  should  appear  in  the  margin.  There  should  also  be  a 
■marginal  note  on  the  subject  of  entries;  for  example,  if  the  entry  be  roll 
call  the  words  "roll  call"  should  be  written  in  red  ink  in  the  margin  under 
time,  as  should  all  marginal  notes.  The  entry  should  be  referred  to  in  as 
"brief  manner  as  possible,  as  "Alarm,"  "Accident,"  "Absence,"  "Meal  time," 
etc.  If  the  entries  of  the  day  extend  only  to  the  middle  of  the  page,  imme- 
diately beneath  the  last  line  of  the  last  entry,  a  horizontal  line  shoufd  be 
■drawn  across  the  entire  page  and  an  oblique  line  running  from  the  left  end 
■of  the  horizontal  line  to  the  right  hand  corner  of  the  page  should  be  drawn 
in  red  ink.     A  space  of  one  line  should  be  left  blank  after  each  entry. 

RECORD  OF  CONSTRUCTION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

No  record  could  be  more  valuable  and  of  greater  assistance  to  a  fire 
■company  in  the  work  of  fire  extinguishment  than  a  card  record  of  all  build- 
ings in  the  fire  district.  Each  fire  company  commander  should  have  available 
for  his  use  a  complete  card  record  of  every  building  in  the  district.  The 
•description  contained  upon  these  cards  should  be  sufficiently  detailed  to  show 
the  location  of  stand  pipes,  sprinkler  shut-offs,  tanks,  hatchways,,  elevators, 
"boiler  rooms,  electric  light  and  other  switches,  gas  connections  with  main; 
also  the  weight  and  character  of  material  and  equipment  stored  upon  each 
floor.     There  should  also  appear  upon  these  cards  an  accurate  sketch  of  the 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  231 


building,  with  its  floors  and  exits  adequately  shown.  With  such  a  record  a 
captain  or  district  chief  would  have  available  for  his  use,  in  directing  the 
operations  of  his  subordinates  at  a  fire,  an  accurate  and  detailed  description 
of  the  interior  of  the  building.  This  record  is  not  only  important  for  the 
sake  of  reducing  fire  losses.,  but  also  to  guard  against  the  loss  of  human 
life  (especially  the  lives  of  the  firemen  who  must  enter  burning  buildings). 
It  would  be  practically  impossible  for  a  volunteer  department  to  maintain 
such  a  record. 

CAR!)  RECORD  OF  INDIVIDUAL  MEMBERS  OF  THE  DEPART- 
MENT. 

An  individual  record  of  each  member  of  the  force  should  be  maintained, 
■not  only  at  headquarters,  but  in  each  fire  station  as  well.     This  card  should 
contain   a    complete   history   of   each   member  from   the   date    of   appointment, 
until  he  shall  cease  to  be  a  member  of  the  department.     The  information  on 
the  card  should  include: 

1.  Full  name 

2.  Age  Date   of  birth 

3.  Residence 

4.  Telephone  number,  if  any 

5.  Date   of   appointment 

6.  First  assignment  to  duty 

7.  Various    assignments    and    transfers 

8.  Records  of  delinquencies   . 

9.  Record   of  any  meritorious  acts  performed 

10.  Promotion 

11.  Complaints   received   against   him 

12.  Efficiency  ratings  month  by  month 

At  the  time  of  appointment,  two  of  such  cards  should  be  made  out,  one 
filed  at  headquarters,  and  the  other  delivered  by  the  fireman  himself  to  the 
Commanding  officer  of  the  company  to  which  he  is  assigned.  This  latter 
card  should  travel  with  the  fireman  to  each  station  where  he  performs  duty. 
Such  a  practice  would  make  it  possible  for  commanding  officers  to  keep  an 
absolute  check  upon  the  records  of  the  members  of  the  department  who  come 
under   their   command. 

There  is  no  reason  why  such  a  card  system  could  not  be  maintained 
for  a  volunteer  service,  but  in  such  case,  provision  should  be  made  to  record 
chronologically  upon  the  card  the  member's  attendance  at  fires. 

REPORTS  ON  FIRE  PREVENTION  INSPECTIONS. 

All  fire  prevention  inspection  reports  of  members  of  the  uniformed  force 
should  be  made  upon  specially  printed  forms.  These  forms  should  have 
proper  headings  calling  for  detailed  information  concerning  each  building 
inspected.     The  report  should  be  filed  by  streets. 

APPARATUS  AND  EQUIPMENT  REPORTS. 

The  chief  mechanic  should  be  required  to  file  with  the  chief  a  monthly 
report  showing  the  condition  of  the  apparatus  and  equipment  of  the  depart- 
ment.    The  report  should  be  based  upon  a  monthly  inspection  of  the  appara- 


236  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


tus,  and  should  include  a  record  of  all  new  apparatus  purchased  or  installed 
during  the  current  month,  repairs  made  to  apparatus,  and  the  cost  thereof. 
The  captain  of  each  company  should  also  file  a  monthly  report,  showing  the 
sanitary  condition  of  the  station  house. 

HEALTH  RECORDS  OF  THE  MEMBERS  OF  THE  FORCE. 

A  card  record  of  the  physical  condition  of  all  members  of  the  force 
should  be  maintained  at  headquarters.  This  record,  of  course,  applies  only 
to  a  paid  service,  but  a  similar  card  record  should  be  maintained  for  mem- 
bers of  the  department  of  a  volunteer  service  injured  in  the  performance, 
of  their  duty.     The  record  should  show: 

i.     Time  lost   as   result  of   sickness 

2.     Character  of  illness 
.    3.     Date  of  beginning  of  leave  of  absence 

4.  Date  T)f  return  to  duty 

5.  Probable  cause  of  illness 

6.  Name   of  physician  attending 

INDIVIDUAL  EFFICIENCY  RECORD. 

There  should  be  individual  efficiency  records  based  partly  on  work 
records  and  in  part  on  tests.  Monthly  ratings  of  working  efficiency  should 
be  sent  by  the  commanding  officers  of  each  fire  company  to  headquaners. 
Efficiency  records  for  volunteer  firemen  should  be  based  upon  the  number 
of  fires  attended  during  the  month,  with  particular  reference  to  the  time  of 
day  or  night  at  which  fires  occurred,  the  number  of  hours  of  attendance  at 
training  school,  and  the  amount  of  work  performed  at  fire  house. 

RECORD  OF  DELINQUENCIES  OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE  FORCE. 

All  documents  and  records  pertaining  to  members  of  the  force  should 
be  filed  at  the  office  of  the  chief.  The  file  should  contain  a  separate  folder 
or  envelope  for  the  complete  history  of  each  member  of  the  force.  As 
each  new  man  is  appointed,  his  application  blank,  the  report  of  the  surgeon, 
and  the  record  of  his  appointment,  should  be  filed  alphabetically  in  an  indi- 
vidual folder.  In  this  folder  should  be  placed  every  letter  of  complaint  or 
commendation,  every  request  made  b}r  the  fireman,  and  in  fact  every  commu- 
nication concerning  him  while  on  the  force,  including  a  record  of  charges 
for  delinquencies.  Each  fireman's  efficiency  cards  and  card  record  of  assign- 
ments should  be  filed  so  as  to  facilitate  access  for  postings,  and  reference 
thereon  should  be  made  to  the  folder  containing  the  documentary  data  men- 
tioned. It  will  thus  be  possible  for  the  superintendent  of  public  safety 
or  the  chief  at  a  moment's  notice,,  to  obtain  not  only  the  record,  but  also 
the  complete  history  of  any  fireman  in  the  city. 

The  city  is  without  any  information  of  statistical  value  concerning  the 
membership  of  the  department,  as  organized  at  present.  Regardless  of 
whether  the  Council  establishes  a  paid  department,  the  city  should  have  for 
statistical  purposes,  a  complete  history  of  the  membership  of  its  volunteer 
organization,  and  for  this  purpose  a  proper  blank  should  be  prepared  at 
once,  with  headings  calling  for  detailed  information  concerning  each  member 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  237 


of  the  department.  These  blanks  should  be  distributed  among  the  mem- 
bers, and  when  filled  in,  they  should  be  filed  and  made  a  part  of  the  records 
for  the  city.  Should  Council  decjde  to  establish  a  paid  service,  which  would 
mean  the  dissolution  of  the  volunteer  organization,,  these  records  would  be 
of  great  statistical  and  historical  value  to  the  city. 

RECORD  OF  COMPLAINTS. 

A  record  to  be  known  as  a  ''Citizens'  Complaint  Book"  should  be  estab- 
lished, for  recording  every  complaint  received  by  the  department  (whether 
written  or  oral).  It  should  likewise  contain  a  report  of  the  investigation  of 
the  complaint  and  the  action  taken  upon  it.  The  records  should  be  indexed 
alphabetically  and  in  accordance  with  the  subjects  of  complaint. 

RECORD  OF  THEATRES  AND  MOVING  PICTURE  SHOWS. 

In  the  office  of  the  chief  of  the  department  there  should  be  on  file  a 
blue-print  or  tracing  showing  the  floor  plans  of  every  theatre  and  moving 
picture  show  house  in  the  city.  An  ordinance  should  be  adopted  making 
it  mandatory  for  the  owners  to  supply  the  fire  department' with  such  drawings, 
showing  in  detail  the  description,  number  and  type  of  exits,  location  of  stand- 
pipes,  tire  escapes,  sprinklers,  sprinkler  shut-off  valves,  gas  connection,  elec- 
tric switches,,  floor  plan,  position  of  stairways,  lobby,  corridors  passage- 
ways and  exit  doors,  the  open  court  or  courts  and  exits  therefrom,  the 
position  of  all  electric  wiring  and  all  matters  which  would  be  of  interest 
to  the  fire  department.  These  plans  should  be  drawn  to  a  scale  of  not  less 
than  eight  feet  to  the  inch;  they  should  be  filed  flat  and  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  make  possible  ready  reference. 

A  card  record  should  be  maintained  of  every  theatre  and  moving 
picture  show,  dance  hall  and  of  every  other  place  where  people  congregate 
and  where  panic  may  be  expected  in  the  event  of  fire  or  other  emergency. 
The  information  for  these  cards  should  be  taken  from  the  plans  filed. 

RECORD  OF  PLACES  HAVING  LICENSE  TO  SELL,  STORE  OR 
TRANSPORT  EXPLOSIVES,  COMBUSTIBLES,  ETC. 

A  card  record  of  all  persons  or  premises  licensed  to  sell,  store,,  handle, 
transfer  or  manufacture  explosives  or  combustibles,  should  be  maintained. 
Upon  this  card  should  appear  information,  in  detail,  concerning  the  licensed 
premises.  There  should  appear  a  sketch  of  the  part  of  the  building  in  which 
such  combustibles  or  explosives  are  stored,  and  the  amount  permitted  to  be 
stored  there  should  be  indicated  thereon.  This  record  would  furnish  the  chief 
with  a  ready  reference  for  the  purpose  of  inspecting  such  premises.  Suffi- 
cient room  should  be  left'  blank  upon  the  cards  to  provide  for  noting  future 
inspections.  * 

HYDRANT   REPORTS. 

Each  captain  should  be  required  to  report  upon  the  condition  of  fire 
hydrants  as  observed  by  him  or  his  men  during  the  month.  Copies  of  any 
reports  which  contain  information  of  irregularities  or  defects  of  the  hydrants 

lid  be  furnished  to  the  bureau  of  water. 


238  FIRE  DEPARTMENT 


REPORT  OF  DRILLS  AT  FIRE  HOUSES. 

The  rules  should  require  company  captains  to  file  weekly  reports  showing; 
i.     Number  of  drills  conducted  by  them  at  the  fire  house 

2.  Length  of  time  devoted  to  each  drill 

3.  Class  of  drills  conducted  (in  detail) 

4.  Number  of  men  absent  during  the  drills 

HORSE  RECORDS. 

It  is  important  that  the  department  maintain  a  complete  record  concern- 
ing the  health  of  the  horses.  This  record  should  be  a  card  record,  and  shoul 
contain,  among  other  things,  the  following  information: 

1.  Date   the  horse   entered  the  service 

2.  Name   or  number 

3.  Distinguishing    marks 

4.  Pedigree  as  far  back  as  possible 

5.  Age Weight and     Height 

6.  Physical  condition   when  purchased 

7.  From    whom    purchased 
8.     Station  assigned  to 

9.     Transfers  and  future  assignments 

10.     Record  of  illness,  showing  day  and  date  of  each  sickness,  the  duration! 
time  lost,  name  of  surgeon  attending 

RECORD  OF  PROPERTY  OWNED  OR  RENTED  BY  THE  DE- 
PARTMENT. 

The  department  should  have  compiled  a  complete  history  of  the  building 
owned,  rented  or  used  in  connection  with  the  fire  service.  This  should  hi 
a  card  record  and  should  contain,  concerning  each  of  the  buildings  in  addfl 
lion  to  other  information,,  the  following:  Date  the  fire  house  was  constructed, 
bought  or  rented,  original  purchase  cost  of  the  ground,  cost  of  construction! 
the  cost  of  equipment,  accurate  description  of  the  building,  floor  by  flooi 
with  a  record  of  all  repairs  made  to  the  building,  showing  the  cost,  and  all 
such  other  available  historical  data  which  may  be  of  value  to  the  depaql 
ment.  Attached  to  this  card  should  be  a  photograph  of  the  building,  to  bfl 
made  a  permanent  record  of  the  department. 

FILING  SYvSTEM  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED. 

Because  of  the  absence  of  a  system  of  reporting  and  a  centralized  con-*.) 
trol  over  trie  records  of  the  department,  the  office  of  the  chief  is  without 
any  filing  cabinets.  If  a  proper  system  of  reports,  such  as  is  recommended 
is  adopted,  the  office  of  the  chief  should  be  equipped  with  fire-resisting 
filing  cabinets  of  the  vertical  correspondence  type. 

ANNUAL  REPORT. 

The  annual  report  of  the  bureau  of  lire  should  be  a  complete  histon  I 
its  operations  during  the  year.  It  should  contain  in  tabular  form  informal 
tion    which    would   not    only    furnish    a    means    for    determining    the    efficiency! 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT  239 


or  inefficiency  of  the  force,  but  would  act  as  a  guide  to  the  Council  in  the 
matter  of  enacting  ordinances  affecting  the  department  and  in  regulating 
its  appropriation.  The  report  should  contain  a  financial  statement  which 
would  show  in  tabular  form  the  per  capita  cost  of  furnishing  lire  protection 
to  the  city;  the  money  appropriated  for  the  department,  year  by  year  for 
the  past  \\\e  years;  disbursements  on  account  of  salaries,  repairs,  supplies, 
new  equipment,  maintenance  of  horses  and  apparatus,   etc. 

A  section  of  the  report  should  be  devoted  to  the  force,  and  should  include 
tables   showing  the   number   of 

Appointments 

Transfers 

Promotions 

Retirements 

Deaths 

Dismissals 

Trials   upon   charges   and   dispositions 

Reinstatements 

Days  of  absence  of  firemen  due  to  illness 

Lost  time  of  firemen  without  salary 

Firemen  injured  at  fires 

Sanitary  condition  of  fire  houses 

Statistics  of  fires  should  be  given  in  tabular  form  as  to  the  number  of 
fires,  confined  to  the  points  of  starting,  confined  to  buildings,  extending  to 
other  buildings,,  extinguished  without  engine  streams,  extinguished  with  one 
engine  stream,  etc.,  extinguished  with  chemical,  water  buckets,  hand  extin- 
guishers, etc.  Such  a  table  should  show  the  number  of  fires  month  by  month 
between  the  hours  of  6  A.  M.  and  6  P.  M.  and  complete  information  con- 
cerning the  probable  causes  of  the  fires. 

In  the  text  of  the  report  special  mention  should  be  made  of  members 
of  the  force  who  have  displayed  extraordinary  skill  or  bravery  during  the 
year. 

\ 


Weiler's  Printing  House   °%. 


440  Couit  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  EIGHT 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Streets  and 
Public  Improvements 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

APRIL,  1914 
10  CENTS 


CONTENTS 


Pase 

Introductory  Statement   243 

,§>ummary  of  Criticisms  and  Constructive  Suggestions 244-246 

Criticisms  and  Constructive  Suggestions  on  Organization  and  Personnel, 
also   on   Pavements.,   Sidewalks,   Inspection   Methods,   Street    Cleaning 

and  Accounting  and  Reporting  Methods 247 

Organization  and  Personnel  . 247 

Pavements    248 

Special    Assessments    253 

Sidewalks    , 257 

Permits    260 

Inspection    261 

Street  Cleaning  and  Garbage  Collection 262 

Accounting  and  Office  Methods  266 

General   Considerations    268 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS— SUMMARY.  243 


INTRODUCTORY  STATEMENT 


The  survey  of  the  public  works  activities  of  Reading's  city  government 
was  undertaken  at  a  time  when  the  entire  city  government  was  in  the 
process  of  complete  reorganization  and  by  this  time  the  general  government 
machinery  has  been  put  in  good  working  order.  From  the  results  of  the 
investigation  of  the  public  works  functions  we  are  convinced  that  there 
is  need  for  as  complete  a  readjustment  of  methods.  In  this  report  many  of 
the  deficiencies  in  law  and  method  are  pointed  out.  Certain  of  these  fail- 
ings are  fundamental  barriers  to  economical  and  efficient  administration, 
but  there  is  not  one  operation  criticized  which,  by  correction,  would  not 
aid  materially  in  stimulating  community  interest  in  public  works. 

Inadequate  equipment,  lack  of  vigor  in  compelling  street  railway  com- 
panies to  repair  areas  without  delay  and  in  a  proper  manner;  many  unpaved 
alleys  in  a  filthy  or  insanitary  condition;  incomplete  cost  records;  lack  of 
service  records,  etc.,  are  indicative  of  the  problems  which  the  city  must 
face.  The  elimination  of  the  present  defects  is  a  big  task,  which  needs 
the  attention  and  support  of  every  citizen. 


244 DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS— SUMMARY. 

DEPARTMENT   OF   STREETS 
and  PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE 

SUGGESTIONS 


ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL. 

The  department  of  streets  and  public  improvements  should  be  reor- 
ganized with  four  bureaus:  (i)  highways  and  bridges;  (2)  sewer;  (3)  street 
cleaning  and  garbage  removal;  (4)  building  inspection — each  under  the 
supervision  of  a  competent  engineer  responsible  to  the  Superintendent  of 
Streets  and  Public  Improvements. 

Under  the  immediate  direction  of  the  City  Engineer  or  the  superinten- 
dent three  central  divisions  should  be  established:  (1)  cost  accounting; 
(2)  surveying  and  draughting;  (3)  inspection — for  the  performance  of  the 
general  internal  functions  of  the  department,  each  under  a  competent 
chief,  responsible  to  the  superintendent  or  to  the  ranking  engineer  accord- 
ing to  the   nature  of  the   function. 

Steps  should  be  taken  to  increase  the  working  force  of  the  department 
by  the  addition  of  m£n  trained  for  the  work  they  are  to  perform.  These 
men  should  receive  such  compensation  as  will  attract  first-class  men  to 
the  department.  The  present  clerical  staff  is  inadequate  to  maintain  the 
necessary   administrative    records. 

PAVEMENTS. 

Reading's  streets  are  inadequately  paved,  and  pavements  are  in  poor 
condition.  Most  of  the  improved  streets  and  roads  are  surfaced  with  water- 
bound  macadam  in  place  of  which  a  bituminous-bound  macadam  is  recom- 
mended. 

Street  railway  area  pavements  have  not  been  properly  maintained  by 
the  company,  nor  have  the  city  authorities  made  good  this  deficiency  at 
the  expense  of  the  company  as  is  provided  in  the  franchise.  A  working 
fund  should  be  established  to  make  it  possible  for  the  city  to  enforce  its 
rights,  this   fund  to   be   reimbursed  by   charges   against  the   company. 

Specifications  for  street  railway  area  pavements,  as  prescribed  by  ordi- 
nance, are  inadequate;  but  even  these  requirements  have  not  been  enforced 
in   all   cases. 

The  type  of  pavement  to  be  laid  in  any  street  should  be  determined  by 
council  upon  recommendation  of  its  technical  expert,  the  city  engineer,. 
not   upon  petition  of  citizens. 

Volunteer  fire  companies  are  permitted  to  sprinkle  the  streets  and  to 
collect  payment  for  this  service  from  the  owners  or  tenants  of  abutting 
property.     As  a  result,  the  streets  are  over-flushed.     This  is  a  service  which 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS— SUMMARY. 245 

should    be   under   the   control   of   the   department   of   streets    and   public   im- 
provements. 

A  comprehensive  paving  program  should  be  adopted  outlining  plans  for 
work  to  be  undertaken  for  a  number  of  years.  To  this  end  a  special  study 
by   a    representative    commission    is    recommended. 

SPECIAL  ASSESSMENTS   FOR   LOCAL  IMPROVEMENTS. 

The  state  law  governing  local  improvement  assessments  is  antiquated 
thus  making  it  impossible  for  the  city  to  assess  against  the  owners  of  abut- 
ting property  the  cost  of  paving  (legally  "'repaying")  any  street  which  has 
ever  been  macadamized.  There  is  need  for  an  official  classification  of 
varieties   of  pavement  to   conform  to  modern   engineering  standards. 

ALLEYS. 

The  bureau  of  health  should  be  relieved  of  responsibility  for  the  con- 
struction and  maintenance  of  alley  roadways'  and  pavements,  and  the  work 
transferred   to    the    department    of   streets    and    public    improvements. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  special  study  be  made  of  the  condition  of 
all  alleys  with  a  view  to  preparing  a  program  for  betterment  work. 

SIDEWALKS. 

Sidewalk  conditions  are  generally  below  accepted  standards  due  partly 
to  neglect  of  property  owners  and  to  the  use  of  surface  gutter  drains. 
An  annual  inspection  should  be  established,  and  reports  should  be  required 
-on  all  sidewalks  in  the   city. 

The  fee  (one  dollar)  for  a  repair  permit  is  too  low  to  provide  for 
adequate  inspection  service.     A  charge   proportionate   to   area  is   suggested. 

A  general  inspection  of  sidewalk  conditions  throughout  the  city  should 
be   made   and   a   report   thereon   presented   to   council   for   action. 

Standard  specifications  for  sidewalks  and  curbing  should  be  established 
by  ordinance. 

Sidewalk  surface  gutters  should  be  eliminated  under  authority  already 
granted. 

PERMITS. 

Steps  should  be  taken  to  increase  the  revenue  of  the  city  through 
rental  charges  for  sidewalk  vaults.  This  is  a  task  for  council  upon  advice 
of  the  city  solicitor  and  of  the  city  engineer. 

Fees  should  be  required  for  permits  for  storage  of  building  material 
upon  streets  and  sidewalks,  so  as  to  provide  for  the  cost  of  proper  inspec- 
tion service. 

INSPECTION. 

The  inspection  staff  of  the  department  is  inadequate  and  poorly  trained 
and  inspection  procedure  does  not  provide  sufficient  information  for  cen- 
tral   control. 


246  DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS— SUMMARY. 

Proper  inspection  includes  (i)  determining  the  necessity  for  work 
proposed  to  be  done  and  (2)  ascertaining  whether  work  done  has  been 
performed    in    a   workmanlike    manner    and    with    proper    materials. 

The  city  should  be  divided  into  five  or  six  inspection  districts  and  a 
competent  inspector  assigned  to  each. 

It  is  suggested  that  report  forms  be  provided  for  use  of  police  officers 
for   reporting   defective   public   works. 

The  adoption  of  a  postal  card  report  form  for  use  of  citizens  and  police 
is   also   suggested. 

Inspectors  should  be  appointed  solely  for  reasons  of  technical  ability, 
and  they  should  receive  sufficient  compensation  to  attract  and  keep  high- 
grade  men.  With  the  large  amount  of  work  which  must  be  undertaken  in 
the  near  future  this  matter  is  particularly  important. 

STREET  CLEANING  AND  GARBAGE  COLLECTION. 

A  single  inspector  without  transportation  facilities  cannot  enforce  the 
terms  of  the  street  cleaning  contract  to  the  extent  that  is  desirable. 

The  city  should  abandon  the  contract  system  and  clean  its  own  streets 
at  the  expiration  of  the  present  contract. 

Members  of  the  street  cleaning  force,  whether  employed  by  a  contractor 
or  by  the  city,  should  be  required  to  wear  uniforms. 

The  responsibility  for  street  cleaning  and  for  minor  repairs  to  streets 
should  be  centralized.  Economy  may  be  effected  through  co-operation  of 
the  forces  assigned  to  these  related  services. 

The  city  should  abandon  the  present  practice  of  collection  and  reduction 
of  household  waste  by  private  contractors.  The  collection  and  incineration 
should  be  done  by  its  own  forces  and  with  its  own  plant  and  equipment. 

ACCOUNTING  AND  REPORTING  METHODS. 

Practically  no  cost  records  are  now  available  for  use  in  administering 
the    department. 

Provision  should  be  made  for  obtaining  the  basis  of  cost  records  through 
the  introduction  of  standard  forms  for  field  reports  and  a  systematic  method 
of   handling   such   reports. 

The  filing  system  in  the  office  of  the  city  engineer  should  be  revised 
to  facilitate  the  obtaining  of  cost  data.  Fireproof  vaults  and  proper  filing 
cases  should  be  provided  for  the  registered  plans. 

GENERAL   CONSIDERATIONS. 

Overhead  wires  should  be  placed  underground,  at  least  in  the  central 
part   of  the   city. 

One  building  inspector  cannot  perform  properly  the  .work  required 
even  under  the   existing  building  laws   and   ordinances. 

An  adequate  building  code  should  be  adopted  by  council. 

Plans  should  be  made  for  extending  and  improving  the  sewage  purifica- 
tion  plant. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  247 

DEPARTMENT   OF  STREETS 
and  PUBLIC   IMPROVEMENTS 


CRITICISMS   AND    CONSTRUCTIVE   SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL,  ALSO 
ON  PAVEMENTS,  SIDEWALKS,  INSPEC- 
TION METHODS,  STREET  CLEAN- 
ING  AND  ACCOUNTING  AND 
REPORTING  METHODS. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL 

The  organization  of  the  department  of  streets  and  public  improvements 
under  the  new  form  of  government  makes  it  unnecessary  to  criticize  in 
detail  the  defects  of  the  former  organization.  That  it  was  defective  is 
admitted.  What  is  important  now  is  the  formulation  of  a  new  department 
which  will  be  properly  organized  and  equipped  to  design  well  and  spend 
economically. 


SUGGESTED    ORGANIZATION. 

The  following  recommendations  as  to  organization  are  premised  on 
the  acceptance  of  the  proposed  changes  in  methods  suggested  in  the  body 
of  this  report.     Functionally,  the  department's  duties   should  consist  of: 

1.  General    engineering    service    for    the    entire    city    government    and 

supervision  of  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  all  public  works, 
including   park   roads,   alleys    and   public   buildings. 

2.  The  collection  and  disposal  of  garbage,  rubbish  and  ashes. 

3.  The  construction  and  care  of  highways,  sewers,  sidewalks  and  bridges. 

4.  Street  cleaning. 

5.  Control  of  the  construction  and  reconstruction  of  private  buildings. 

6.  Municipal   surveying. 

For  organization  the  following  is  suggested: 
Bureau  of  highways    and   bridges 
Bureau  of  sewers 

Bureau  of  street  cleaning  and  garbage   removal 
Bureau  of  building    inspection 
Each  bureau  should  be  under  the  supervision   of  a  competent  engineer 
responsible  to  the  superintendent  or  city  engineer.     In  addition  three  over- 
head   divisions    should    be    established    to    report    directly    to    the    ranking 
engineer  or  the  superintendent — 

1.     Division  of  records  under  supervision  of  the  chief  clerk  and  reporting 
to  the   superintendent.     The  duties   of  this   division   comprise:   the 


248 DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  

issuance    of    permits;    the    registering    of   plans;    cost    and    expense 
accounting,  and  general  office  work. 

2.  Surveying    and    draughting    division    under    the    supervision    of    the 

head  surveyor  and   reporting  to  the   city   engineer. 

3.  Inspection  division  under  the  supervision  of  the  chief  inspector  and 

reporting  directly  to  the   superintendent   or  city  engineer. 

PERSONNEL. 

With  an  increase  in  the  duties  of  the  department,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  secure  trained  men  for  the  positions,  and  to  increase  the  force.  The 
need  for  civil  service  regulations,  service  records  and  salary  standardization 
is  referred  to  in  another  section  of  the  report.  There  is  no  department 
where  these  would  be  of  more  service  tnan  in  the  department  of  streets 
and  public  improvements.  Before  any  extension  is  made  in  the  scope 
of  the  department's  duties,  and  before  any  possible  increase  in  expenditure 
authorized,  it  is  essential  that  the  force  be  trained  and  organized  to  handle 
it.  Inspectors  at  $3  per  day  mean  inefficient  service  or  underpaid  em- 
ployees; and  a  clerical  force  of  one  clerk  and  an  assistant  means  inadequate 
and  possibly  inaccurate  accounts.  £ 


PAVEMENTS 

PRESENT  CONDITION. 

A  detailed  survey  of  conditions  is  certainly  not  necessary  to  bring  to 
the  attention  of  the  citizens  of  Reading  that  the  streets  and  roads  of  the 
city  are  inadequately  paved  and  the  pavements  generally  are  in  a  very  poor 
condition. 

More  than  half  of  the  permanent  pavements  of  the  city  are  of  brick; 
unsightly,  rough,  and  in  their  present  condition  a  menace  to  the  health 
of  the  community.  The  asphalt  pavements  are  perhaps  the  best,  but  the 
total  amount  of  such  pavement  is  less  than  six  linear  miles.  The  granite 
block  pavements,  of  which  there  is  approximately  one  linear  mile,  were 
improperly  constructed;  they  are  expensive  to  maintain  and  evidently  in  a 
state  of  disrepair  most  of  the  time. 

The  present  mileage  of  the  various  classes  of  pavement  is  as  follows: 

Water-bound   macadam    '. 60  miles 

Brick   11  miles 

Asphalt  6  miles 

Bituminous-bound   macadam    2  miles 

Granite    block    , 1  mile 

Wood  block    (about)    JA  mile 

Total    80J4  miles 

From  the  above  tabulation  it  appears  that  more  than  75  per  cent,  of  the 
improved  streets  of  Reading  have  been  paved  with  a  so-called  water-bound 
macadam.  Within  the  last  few  years,  on  account  of  the  growth  in  the  use 
of  automobiles  for  pleasure  and  business,  water-bound  macadam  construc- 
tion has   been   discarded   entirely   by   progressive   highway   engineers.     The 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 249 

fast  moving  motor  vehicles  ravel  out  the  surface  stones  on  the  water-bound 
macadam  streets  as  fast  as  they  are  rolled  in. 

In  searching  for  a  method  which  would  check  this  rapid  disintegration 
of  macadam  roads,  various  bituminous  treatments  have  been  tried  out,  and 
the  results  will  warrant  the  use  of  bituminous  surface  treatments  of  macadam 
roads  in  any  city.  Comparatively  little  of  this  work  had  been  attempted 
in  Reading.  There  are  approximately  two  miles  of  bituminous-bound  macad- 
am, but  no  city-wide  program  for  an  inexpensive  bituminous  surface  treat- 
ment has  ever  been  carried  out. 

STREET  RAILWAY  PAVEMENTS  IN  POOR  CONDITION. 

The  railway  area  pavements — the  pavements  within  the  car  tracks  and 
the  foot  and  a  half  on  either  side — are  generally  inferior  to  the  pavements 
in  the  roadway  proper.  By  the  terms  of  its  franchise,  the  street  railway 
company  is  bound  to  reconstruct  and  maintain  in  good  repair  the  pave- 
ments within  the  railroad  area.  This  treatment  has  not  been  fully  carried 
out  and  the  present  condition  points  toward  laxity  on  the  part  of  both  the 
street  railway  and  the  city  officials.  The  practice  in  making  these  repairs 
has  been  for  the  city  to  serve  a  notice  upon  the  railway  company  requiring 
certain  repairs  to  be  made.  By  the  terms  of  the  franchise,  if  these  repairs 
are  not  completed  within  a  period  of  20  days,  the  city  is  authorized  to 
undertake  the  work  and  charge  the  cost  thereof  against  the  company.  One 
of  the  explanations  given  for  the  poor  condition  of  the  railroad  area  pave- 
ments is  that  sufficient  money  had  not  been  provided  for  carrying  on  this 
work.  Considering  that  the  ultimate  cost  must  be  borne  by  the  street 
raihvay  company  and  that  the  money  necessary  could  be  provided  in  a 
rotary  fund,  or  capital  account,  the  question  of  finance  becomes  a  very 
incidental  argument  in  explaining  the  existing  conditions.  A  fund  should 
be  provided  for  this  purpose  at  once,  either  through  the  issuance  of  refund- 
able bonds   or  by  direct   charges   against   cash  without   actual   appropriation. 

SPECIFICATIONS  AND   METHODS  FAULTY. 

Considering  in  greater  detail  the  underlying  causes  of  the  present  con- 
dition of  the  railway  area  pavements,  it  developed  that  the  city  not  only 
has  the  power  to  enforce  proper  maintenance  of  the  railroad  area  pavements 
I  but  also  has  comprehensive  powers  for  enforcing  proper  specifications  and 
workmanship.  However,  many  obsolete  construction  methods  have  been 
and  are  being  used  for  this  work.  The  kind  of  foundation  to  be  used  is 
specified  by  ordinance.  The  specifications  are  very  meagre  and  are  inade- 
quate for  controlling  the  kind  of  construction  methods  necessary  to  meet 
the  demands  of  the  traffic  conditions  on  the  railway  streets.  But  notwith- 
standing the  inadequate  specifications  of  this  ordinance,  a  construction 
job  was  being  carried  on  on  Tenth  street  at  the  time  this  investigation 
was  in  progress  where  the  foundation  for  the  pavement  proper  did  not 
even   meet   the   requirements   of  the   ordinance. 

It  is   not   necessary   in   a   survey   report   of   this   nature   to   point    out    in 

detail  just  what  kind  of  construction  methods  should  be  followed  in  carrying 

on  this  work.     It  is  sufficient  to  say,  however,  by  way  of  example,  that  in 

York,  Philadelphia  and  practically  every  other  city  where  any  attention 


25o DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

has  been  given  to  this  work,  a  supporting  foundation  of  mixed  concrete, 
often  15  to  16  inches  in  depth,  has  been  required,  while  in  Reading  6  inches 
of  broken  stone  will  satisfy  the  requirements   of  the   ordinance. 

CITY'S   RIGHTS  SHOULD   BE  ENFORCED. 

If  the  street  railway  company  had  been  given  to  understand  by  the  city 
administration  that  the  franchise  rights  of  the  city  were  to  be  enforced 
to  the  letter,  it  would  have  been  a  very  short-sighted  policy  indeed  on  the 
part  of  the  railway  company  to  have  permitted  such  work  to  be  done, 
despite  the  freedom  given  by  the  terms  of  the  ordinance.  In  any  event,  the 
community  is  due  this  service  from  the  street  railway  company  and  the 
superintendent  should  be  instructed  to  enforce  the  city's  rights. 

SELECTION   OF   PAVEMENTS. 

The  type  of  pavements  to  be  laid  should  be  decided  by  council  upon 
recommendation  of  the  city  engineer,  and  not  as  at  present  according 
to  the  peculiar  desires  of  petitioners  from  different  wards.  Considerations 
such  as  climate,  volume  of  traffic,  kind  of  traffic,  grade  of  street,  character 
of  district,  presence  of  car  tracks,  have  not  been  taken  into  account;  nor 
have  qualities  of  pavements  been  considered  in  the  light  of  durability, 
smoothness,  noiselessness,  slipperyness,  cost  of  laying,  or  cost  of  cleaning. 
Experience  in  many  cities  has  proved  that  the  granting  to  property  owners 
of  arbitrary  rights  to  select  the  kind  of  pavement  to  be  laid  in  front  of 
their  property,  has  resulted  in  a  large  waste  of  time  and  money.  Too 
often  the  non-technical  property  owner  has  found  to  his  sorrow  that  he 
should  have  been  protected  from  his  own  inclinations.  This  is  the  kind 
of  work,  which,  if  properly  carried  out,  must  be  made  a  subject  for  scientific 
study. 

UNNECESSARY  FLUSHING  OF  PAVED  STREETS. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  in  reports  of  the  city  engineer  that  excessive 
sprinkling  of  asphalt  streets  is  detrimental  to  the  pavement.  This  is  par- 
ticularly true  where  pressure  flushers  are  used.  The  paved  streets  are 
now  being  sprinkled  and  flushed  too  often.  A  number  of  the  volunteer 
fire  companies  have  sprinkling  carts  which  are  used  in  flushing  various 
•city  streets.  For  this  service  the  fire  companies  are  permitted  to  collect 
from  property  owners  and  merchants,  a  practice  which  tends  to  increase 
the  amount  of  sprinkling,  as  anything  collected  for  this  service  is  practi- 
cally clear  profit.  It  would  be  advisable  for  the  department  of  streets  and 
public  improvements  to  undertake  this  work,  but  in  any  event  the  depart- 
ment should  have  complete  control  of  the  kind  and  amount  of  sprinkling. 

GOOD    PAVEMENTS   A    GOOD    INVESTMENT    FOR    TAXPAYERS' 
MONEY. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  the  space  of  this  report  to  point  out  in  detail 
all  of  the  many  advantages  of  good  pavements  and  good  roads  to  a  com- 
munitv.     Some  of  the  conspicuous  advantages  are:  decreased  cost  in  trans- 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  251 

portation  and  better  health  conditions.  But  more  than  that,  good  roads 
and  good  pavements  will  provide  a  tangible  result  about  which  civic  pride 
may  be  developed.  Secondary  but  no  less  important  social  advantages  will 
invariably  accrue  to  any  city  or  any  group  of  citizens  which  realizes  the 
necessity  for  good  roads. 

The  time  is  ripe  for  the  development  pf  a  comprehensive  program  for 
this  work.  For  success,  it  needs  the  undivided  support  of  the  thinking 
public.  This  means  the  active  co-operation  of  the  chamber  of  commerce 
and  all  civic  organizations.  There  is  no  single  program  in  any  department 
of  the  city  government,  no  private  business  and  no  property  in  the  City 
of  Reading  which  will  not  be  materially  benefitted  by  better  roads  and 
pavements. 

A  PAVING  PROGRAM  NEEDED. 

Constructive  planning  is  one  of  the  fundamental  principles  which  go 
to  bring  about  good  government.  Constructive  planning  in  pavement  work 
means  the  preparation  of  a  paving  program. 

To  place  the  streets  of  Reading  in  proper  condition  is  the  work  of  a 
number  of  years.  If  best  results  are  to  be  obtained,  it  cannot  and  must 
not  be  considered  as  the  work  for  one  year  or  one  administration.  What 
is  needed  most  is  a  clear  statement  of  the  problem,  both  from  an  engineer- 
ing and  financial  standpoint,  and  assurance  that  the  program  will  be  car- 
ried out.  It  is  only  through  the  preparation  of  a  concise  statement  of 
the  problem  that  continuity  of  policy  may  be  insured. 

WHY  A  DETAILED  PROGRAM  IS  NECESSARY. 

Although  the  standard  specifications  have  been  prepared  for  wood  block, 
granite  block,  brick,  sheet  asphalt  and  practically  every  kind  of  standard 
pavement,  and  although  general  estimates  of  costs  of  the  various  types  of 
pavements  could  be  prepared,  a  detailed  study  of  the  local  conditions  should 
be  made  before  an  improvement  is  undertaken;  otherwise,  it  very  often 
happens  that  a  four-dollar  pavement  will  be  laid  where  a  two-dollar  pave- 
ment would  answer  every  requirement,  or  that  a  comparatively  low-priced 
pavement  will  be  laid  where  a  more  expensive  pavement  would  prove 
most  economical  in  the  end. 

There  are  undoubtedly  many  fundamental  rules  governing  the  selection 
of  pavements  which  should  be  followed  independently  of  the  preparation  of 
the  definite  program.  For  example,  wood  block  pavement,  although  adapted 
to  the  heaviest  traffic  and  comparatively  noiseless,  should  not  be  used  on 
any  streets  where  the  grade  is  at  all  excessive.  Sheet  asphalt  pavements 
are  also  more  or  less  objectionable  on  grades,  due  to  the  slippery  surface. 
On  the  other  hand,  various  kinds  of  bituminous  concrete  pavements  where 
the  mixture  contains  a  quantity  of  broken  stone,  and  is  covered  by  a  top 
coat  comparatively  soft,  are  very  well  adapted  to  streets  having  a  grade 
of  as  high  as  ten  to  fifteen  per  cent.  The  point  is  that,  although  it  is 
possible  to  establish  general  rules  which  would  prohibit  the  use  of  certain 
types  of  pavements  under  certain  conditions,  a  special  study  must  be  made 
in  order  to  determine  what  one  particular  pavement  of  these  generally 
adapted  pavements  should  be  used. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 


Special  studies  are  also  needed  in  order  to  determine  whether  repaying 
or  entire  reconstruction  is  needed  on  certain  streets  where  a  more  or  less 
permanent  pavement  had  at  one  time  been'  laid.  A  large  part  of  the  pave- 
ment problem  in  Reading  centers  around  this  question  of  whether  the 
existing  brick  streets  can  be  repaved  or  resurfaced  or  must  be  completely 
reconstructed. 

There  are  many  other  questions  such  as  the  condition  of  the  ground 
under  the  foundation  of  the  pavement,  and  whether  the  street  is  used  by 
the  street  railway  company,  a  condition  which  affects  seriously  the  selection* 
of  a  particular  kind  of  pavement.  The  kind  of  rail  used  by  the  street 
railway  company,  whether  a  T  rail,  a  flange  rail,  or  the  Trilby  rail,  is  also  a 
very  important  factor  in  determining  whether  a  bituminous,  brick,  stone- 
block   or  wood-block   pavement   should   be   used. 

The  lack  of  proper  consideration  of  these  points  in  selecting  types  of 
pavements  for  different  streets  has  cost  the  City  of  New  York  millions  of 
dollars,  and  has  proven  a  very  expensive  policy  for  practically  every  large 
city   in   the   United   States. 

Faulty  railway  construction  methods  and  the  use  of  inferior  rails  by 
the  street  railway  company  have  caused  a  waste  of  more  than  a  million 
dollars  in  a  city  of  half  a  million  population  in  the  last  five  years. 

All  these  questions  could  be  studied,  decided  upon  and  planned  for  in 
the   preparation   of  a   paving  program. 

It  is  not  possible  for  a  street  railway  company  to  change  its  type  of  rait 
or  to  change  immediately  the  methods  of  supporting  the  tracks.  It  is  not 
possible  for  the  water  department  or  the  public  service  corporations  to 
place  their  mains  in  proper  condition  or  to  make  all  surface  connections 
at  one  time.  It  is  not  right  that  property  owners  should  be  required  to 
reset  a  curb  or  change  the  grade  of  sidewalks  without  considerable  advance 
notice.  But  if  the  proposed  paving  work  of  the  city  is  outlined  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  to  come,  everyone  concerned  has  an  opportunity  for  constructive 
planning. 

COMMISSION  TO  PREPARE  PROGRAM. 

It  is  always  advisable  in  the  preparation  of  a  program  of  this  nature,, 
to  guard  against  local  prejudice.  Personal  antagonism  and  factional  inter- 
ests are  the  most  dangerous  factors  in  the  preparation  of  a  paving  prog-ram. 

It  would  be  advisable  to  establish  a  commission,  to  consist  of  men 
trained  in  engineering  and  finance,  to  formulate  this  program,  assisted  by 
a  committee  representing  the  city  council,  the  chamber  of  commerce  and 
other  local  organizations.  Such  a  committee  should  assist  and  advise,  but 
have  no  authority  in  the  determination  of  the  ultimate  plan.  A  commission- 
of  three  men  would  be  advisable:  one  an  engineer  familiar  with  paving 
technique,  another  a  man  qualified  in  public  works  finance,  and  the  third. 
the  superintendent  of  the  department  or  the  city  engineer. 

PREPARATION  AND  PUBLICITY. 

The  paving  program  should  not  be  prepared  until  detailed  ,  scientific 
studies  of  traffic,  grades,  living  conditions,  etc.,  have  been  investigated  on 
all   of  the   streets   of  the   city.     It  would  be   advisable   to   formulate   a   plan,. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.     253 

the  carrying  out  of  which  would  be  the  work  of  ten  years,  or  at  least  five. 
It  should  include  a  definite  statement  of  the  type  of  pavements  to  be  laid 
by  the  city  within  the  next  three  years.  It  should  provide  for  the  continua- 
tion annually  of  the  study  of  traffic,  living  conditions,  etc.,  on  the  streets 
included  within  the  plan.  It  should  provide  in  detail  a  funding  scheme  for 
financing  improvements. 

The  plan  should  be  printed  and  distributed  among  citizens  interested 
in  municipal  affairs,  in  order  that  its  carrying  out  may  be  forced,  if  neces- 
sary, over  the  objections  of  a  changed  administration.  Too  much  publicity 
is  impossible.  The  more  citizen  interest  is  aroused  a  better  chance  there 
is  for  the  continuation  of  citizen  interest  to  insure  the  actual  carrying  out 
of  what  has  been  planned. 


SPECIAL  ASSESSMENTS 

It  has  often  been  suggested  in  Reading  that  the  financing  of  pavement 
work  by  special  assessment  on  the  abutting  property  would  be  a  solution 
of  the  paving  problem.  This  is  not  entirely  true.  The  local  assessing  of  the 
cost  of  permanent  pavements  would  assist  materially  in  controlling  the  for- 
mulation and  carrying  out  of  a  definite  program,  but  local  improvement 
assessments  for  this  work  are  not  essential  in  getting  good  pavements. 

The  rapid  increase  in  private  transportation  facilities,  particularly  motor- 
driven  vehicles,  has  served  to  change  the  significance  of  city  pavements  to 
the  community.  Questions  of  local  benefit,  therefore,  tend  to  disappear, 
and  the  matter  of  the  assessment  of  the  cost  of  pavement  construction 
against  the  abutting  property  owners  must  be  considered  in  a  new  light. 

Since  there  is  need  for  change  in  pavement  policy  in  Reading,  and  for 
the  formulation  of  a  broad,  comprehensive  program  for  this  work,  involv- 
ing  large    expenditures,   the   question   demands    special   consideration. 

ADVANTAGE  OF  SPECIAL  ASSESSMENTS. 

As  it  is  unquestionably  true  that  the  construction  of  the  first  permanent 
pavement  bestows  a  distinct  and  peculiar  benefit  upon  the  property  in  its 
immediate  vicinity,  local  improvement  assessments  are  needed  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  administrator  in  the  case  of  original  paving.  In  the  course 
•of  the  preparation  and  carrying  out  of  paving  improvements,  pressure  from 
many  sources  is  usually  brought  to  bear  upon  the  city  engineer,  council 
and  the  municipal  organization  unit  having  supervision  over  the  work  to 
influence  the  location   of  the   improvements. 

In  any  city,  no  matter  what  the  size  or  general  community  attitude, 
over-zealous  or  unscrupulous  real  estate  operators,  conscientiously  or  tin- 
conscientiously  prejudiced  in  favor  of  their  own  property,  may  seriously 
interfere  with  the  proper  distribution  of  paving  improvements.  The  question 
of  local  or  ward  influence  is  one  which  affects  all  kinds  of  public  works, 
but  it  is  specially  serious  in  the  pavement  problem.  There  is  nothing  quite 
so  dangerous  as  a  paving  program  prepared  in  response  to  local  influence. 
It  means  the  use  of  a  four-dollar  pavement  where  a  two-dollar  pavement 
would  serve  every  purpose,  and  the  paving  of  many  comparatively  unim- 
portant streets  before  the  main  arteries  of  travel  are  placed  in  proper  con- 


254  DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 


dition.     For  protection  against  these  two  very  serious  influences  local  assess- 
ments are  particularly  effective. 

THE  ALTERNATIVE. 

As  in  all  probability  it  will  be  impossible  to  make  use  of  the  local 
improvement  principle  for  more  than  a  small  percentage  of  the  necessary 
pavement  work,  it  is  necessary  to  plan  for  alternative  methods. 

The  problem  naturally  divides  itself  into  two  main  questions:  (i)  the 
formulation  of  the  program;   and   (2)   the  enforcement  of  its  provisions. 

How  a  paving  program  must  be  prepared  and  what  principles  kept  in 
mind  during  its  preparation  have  already  been  brought  to  your  attention. 
It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  expect  that  a  paving  program,  formulated 
now,  may  be  completed  within  the  year;  more  likely  in  five,  and  possibly 
ten  years.  Having  prepared  the  program,  the  important  problem  for  the 
efficient  citizen  is  to  support  a  continuous  policy  in  spite  of  frequent  changes 
in  legislative  or  administrative  personnel.  This  as  the  kind  of  action  which 
can  onry  be  carried  out  by  the  community  iteslf,  through  a  group  of  wide- 
awake citizens,  the  chamber  of  commerce  or  any  organization  whose  purpose 
is  to  influence  actively  the  attitude  of  the  community.  It  is  the  kind  of 
work  that  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  of  New  York  and  various  local 
citizen  bodies  in  many  cities  are  doing  today.  It  is  simply  a  problem  for  the 
citizen  himself,  and  it  can  be  effected  by  no  one  else  whether  in  the  city  hall 
or  not. 

DISCUSSION   OF  THE   LEGAL   QUESTIONS   INVOLVED   IN   SPE- 
CIAL ASSESSMENTS. 

It  is  unfortunate  but  true  that  the  Pennsylvania  laws  governing  the 
question  of  local  improvement  assessments  are  very  meagre,  unscientific 
and  impracticable  for  present  conditions,  particularly  on  the  question  of 
assessments  for  pavements.  Until  very  recently  a  general  statute  passed  in 
1889  was  the  controlling  law  governing  pavenient  assessments  of  all  cities. 
It  is  doubly  unfortunate  that  the  ambiguous  provisions  of  this  act  were  not 
corrected  in  the  recent  Clarke  act  for  the  incorporation,  regulation  and  gov- 
ernment of  cities  of  the  third-class.  In  so  far  as  the  pavement  assessment 
problem  is  concerned,  the  new  act  is  practically  no  improvement  on  the 
old. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  the  space  of  this  report  to  enter  into  a  detailed 
discussion  of  various  provisions  of  this  law.  In  order  that  the  many  difficul- 
ties may  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  citizens,  it  was  thought  sufficient 
to  include  a  summary  discussion  of  these  matters. 

In  the  act  of  1889  cobblestone  and  the  old-style  water-bound  macadam 
pavements  are  defined  specifically  as  being  first-class  permanent  pavements. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  neither  cobblestone  nor  water-bound 
macadam  pavements  are  today  considered  as  permanent  or  of  the  first  grade. 
Permanency  and  grade  are  entirely  questions  of  comparison.  In  the  last 
ten  years,  due  largely  to  the  increased  use  of  motor  vehicles,  traffic  condi- 
tions have  completely  changed.  In  order  to  meet  the  increased  requirements 
of  motor  traffic,  pavement  construction  had  to  be  improved,  so  that  today, 
from  a  comparative  standpoint,  cobblestone  and  water-bound  macadam  roads 
are  considered  unimproved  roads. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 


The  law  states  that  no  city  has  the  right  to  assess  the  cost  of  repaying, 
reconstruction  or  maintenance  against  the  owners  of  abutting  property, 
and  macadam  roads  are  considered  as  paved  roads.  The  City  of  Reading 
has  over  80  miles  of  this  class  of  streets  which,  unless  some  material  change 
in  .legislation  can  be  obtained,  would  be  eliminated  entirely  from  the  assessable 
class. 

There  are  various  court  decisions  which  substantiate  this  contention — 
City  of  Harrisburg  vs.  Segelbaum  and  Boyer  vs.  The  City  of  Reading  are 
typical  cases  in  which  the  city  has  been  restricted  from  assessing  the  cost 
of  permanent  pavement  on  account  of  the  original  construction  of  a  macadam 
road.  This  would  seem  to  be  unjust  and  inequitable,  but  it  is  none  the  less 
the  law,  and  until  proper  revision  by  legislative  enactment  has  been  obtained, 
very  little  improvement  can  be  expected. 

There  are  a  number  of  detailed  supporting  questions  decided  in  the  cases 
referred  to  which  only  add  to  the  injustice  of  the  present  attitude.  For 
example,  no  matter  whether  the  city  or  the  property  owner  originally  paid 
for  the  construction  of  the  macadam  road,  it  is  held  that  the  construction 
itself,  independent  of  the  method  of  financing,  will  relieve  the  property  owner 
of  any  further  assessment.  Another  decision  is  to  the  effect  that  the  attitude 
of  the  city  respecting  the  macadam  road  will  determine  whether  the  macadam 
construction  was  a  permanent  pavement  or  a  temporary  provision  for  trans- 
portation. 

It  is  interesting  to  find  that  the  overturning  of  the  assessment  rights  of 
the  city  in  the  Harrisburg  case  was  based  largely  on  a  so-called  macadamizing 
of  Market  street  in  1832  and  1848;  and  that  the  decision  against  the  City  of 
Reading  in  the  other  case  was  based  largely  on  the  turnpiking  of  Fifth  street 
in  1805.  In  the  Reading  case,  also,  the  question  of  the  duty  of  the  city  and  the 
equity  of  distributing  the  burden  of  expense  to  the  taxpayer  was  so  hope- 
lessly confused  that  remedial  legislation  is  imperative.  These  points  have 
been  brought  to  your  attention  to  emphasize  the  inadequacy  of  the  present 
law  as  interpreted  by  the  courts. 

AN  ASSESSMENT  POSSIBILITY. 

The  question  has  also  been  raised  as  to  whether  a  petition  of  a  majority  of 
property  owners  within  a  local  district  would  permit  the  assessing  of  the 
cost  of  pavement  construction  upon  the  abutting  property.  This  has  been 
answered  in  the  negative  by  the  courts.  The  right  is  admitted,  however,  if 
the  owners  of  100  per  cent,  of  the  property  abutting  on  the  street  under 
improvement  petition  for  the  improvement  and  admit  their  willingness  to 
pay  the  assessment.  This  practice  is  not  recommended,  for  it  is  inequitable 
and  an  imposition  upon  the  more  public-spirited  citizen  of  the  community, 
but  in  cases  of  emergency  it  might  be  made  useful. 

CLEAR  DEFINITION  OF  PERMANENT  PAVEMENTS  NEEDED. 

Considering  the  fact  that  the  Pennsylvania  law,  governing  assessment 
rates  of  cities,  is  ambiguous  in  specifying  what  are  permanent  pavements, 
it  is  essential  that  a  clear  definition  of  this  distinction  be  made.  This  could 
be  done  either  by  ordinance  or  departmental  regulation.  Many  cities  have 
found  that  road  work  can  be  divided  into  three  main  classes:  The  first  class 


2& DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 


should  comprise  those  improvements  including  the  so-called  permanent 
pavements— a  term  meaning  all  pavements  built  in  a  substantial  manner  but 
excluding  water-bound  or  oil-bound  macadam  and  gravel  pavements.  The 
second  class  would  comprise  those  semi-permanent  pavements  or  light- 
traffic  pavements,  including  water-bound  and  oil-bound  crushed  rock  'or 
macadam  pavements,  also  pavements  of  a  more  permanent  nature  but 
inferior  to  the  first-grade  pavements.  The  third-class  would  comprise 
improvements  to  a  roadway  such  as  grading,  laying  cross-walks  and  gutter- 
ing, where  no  special  attention  has  been  devoted  to  pavement  work  proper. 

STANDARD  SPECIFICATIONS  SHOULD  INCLUDE  CLASS 
DEFINITION. 

When  the  specifications  for  various  kinds  of  pavement  and  roadway  im- 
provement work  have  been  established,  care  should  be  taken  that  a  separate 
section  be  included  in  each  specification,  stating  specifically  the  class  of 
work.  The  grading  of  a  street  is  certainly  not  a  permanent  improvement, 
in  so  far  as  pavement  is  concerned,  yet  unless  particular  care  be  taken 
by  the  city  authorities,  many  property  owners  will  be  exempted  from  assess- 
ments for  the  construction  of  pavements  on  account  of  having  graded  the 
street  at  their  own  expense.  The  grading  of  a  street  is  a  proper  assessable 
charge,  but  payment  of  the  cost  of  grading  any  street  should  not  relieve 
owners  of  the  abutting  property  from  an  assessment  for  the  cost  of  the 
first   permanent   pavement. 

ALLEY   PAVEMENTS   SHOULD   BE   UNDER   THE   JURISDICTION 
OF  THE  BUREAU  OF  HIGHWAYS. 

According  to  the  present  distribution  of  work,  the  construction  and 
maintenance  of  alley  roadways  and  alley  pavements  is  made  a  duty  of  the 
health  department.  There  is  no  question  that  the  paving  of  an  alley 
eliminates  a  health  menace,  but  this  is  also  true  of  the  paving  of  a  street, 
but  health  officials  are  not  required  to  build  and  maintain  the  street  pave- 
ments. The  City  of  Reading  has  on  its  payroll  men  ostensibly  capable 
•of  doing  this  particular  work.  It  is  only  reasonable  to  assume  that  such 
men  should  be  required  to  supervise  all  work  of  that  nature.  The  highway 
division  of  the  department  of  streets  and  public  improvements  is  equipped 
to  do  this  work  and  should  be  given  complete  jurisdiction  over  the  planning 
and  actual  construction. 

FEW  ALLEYS  PAVED. 

According  to  the  statistics  available  only  about  one  per  cent,  of  the 
alleys  are  paved.  It  is  probable  that  the  split  jurisdiction  between  the  bureau 
of  highways  and  the  bureau  of  health  in  constructing  proper  alley  pave- 
ments is  partly  responsible  for  this  condition.  It  is  unquestionably  true  that 
good  pavements,  if  only  cheap  pavements,  are  a  great  help  in  establishing 
proper  sanitary  conditions  in  the  alleys. 

A  program  for  this  work  should  be  prepared  at  once,  but  first  a  concise 
statement  of  the  problem  should  be  made  public.  In  order  to  do  this,  we 
would  suggest  that  an  inspection  of  the  conditions  of  all  alleys  and  private 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  257 

lanes   be   made,   and  the   results   of  such   inspection   shown   graphically   on   a 
map  of  the  city.     If  this  were  done,  civic  pride   alone  would  force   the   im- 
provement  of   existing   conditions   in   the    alleys,   which   at   the    present   time 
a  reflection  on  the  public  works  of  the  city. 


SIDEWALKS 

The  City  of  Reading  is  confronted  by  a  situation  in  sidewalk  condi- 
tions which,  like  the   pavement  situation,  has  been    developing  for  a  number 

ears  through  neglect.  Maintenance  of  sidewalks  is  made  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  property  owner,  but  the  responsibility  for  the  enforcement  of 
proper  sidewalk  conditions  is  the  duty  of  the  city  officials.  Both  city  officials 
and  property  owners  must  have  been  negligent  for  a  number  of  years  to 
have  permitted  the  sidewalks  of  the  city  to  get  into  the  condition  they  are 
in  today.  Thousands  of  dollars  will  have  to  be  expended  to  place  the  side- 
walks   in   passable   condition. 

NEED  FOR  CURRENT  INSPECTION. 

No  definite  procedure  for  sidewalk  inspection  has  ever  been  in  force, 
although  it  has  been  the  practice  to  make  use  of  the  idle  time  of  the  survey 
parties  during  the  fall  of  the  year  for  this  work.  What  is  needed  is  the 
establishment  of  definite  inspection  routes  to  make  sure  that  every  side- 
walk in  the  city  is  inspected  at  least  once  each  year.  This  should  be  made 
the  duty  of  the  patrol  inspectors  and  a  complete  inspection  of  all  sidewalks 
should  be  made  just  prior  to  the  opening  of  the  season  for  outdoor  work. 

It  is  essential  in  a  general  inspection  of  sidewalk  conditions  that  the 
inspectors  be  required  to  report  something  about  every  sidewalk  inspected. 
In  other  words,  it  is  not  sufficient,  for  purposes  of  control,  for  the  inspector 
to  report  only  defective  sidewalks.  Moreover,  as  in  the  case  of  reports  of 
other  public  works  conditions,  it  is  equally  important  that  such  reports  be 
made  on  proper  loose  leaf  field  forms  which  may  be  transmitted  without 
recapitulation  directly  to  the  main  office  for  proper  action.  At  the  present 
time  the  field  notes  of  the  district  inspector  are  kept  in  more  or  less  in- 
formal  note  books. 

ENFORCEMENT  OF  REPAIR  NOTICES  ESSENTIAL. 

Notices  to  repair  sidewalks  are  made  out  by  the  city  engineer.  The  notice 
is  in  the  form  of  a  coupon  and  a  stub;  the  original  (coupon)  is  served  on 
the  property  owner,  and  the  stub  retained  as  reference  in  the  office  of  the 
city  engineer.  The  stub  record  is  the  only  record  of  this  work  available 
for  reference  in  the  office. 

These  notices  of  the  city  engineer  are  mere  formalities,  and  are  useless 
except  as  a  possible  protection  to  the  city  in  damage  suits.  On  account 
of  this,  when  a  notice  to  repair  is  sent  out,  no  effective  procedure  is  auto- 
matically initiated  which  would  provide  the  basis  for  determining  the  effect 
-of  the  notice.  All  legal  notices,  such  as  the  notice  to  repair  sidewalks, 
should  be  subject  to  the  strictest  control  in  the  main  office.  Whenever  a 
notice    to    repair    is    sent    out,   particular    attention    should    be    given    to    the 


^6 DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

follow-up  in  order  to  enforce  the  specifications  of  the  order,  or  to  cancel 
it  entirely.  Many  cities  have  found  that  the  easiest  way  to  control  legal 
notices  is  by  means  of  a  tickler  file.  If  the  notice  to  repair  a  sidewalk 
were  made  out  in  duplicate,  and  the  original  served  on  the  owner,  then  the 
duplicate  could  be  retained  in  a  tickler  file,  which  at  the  expiration  of  the 
legal  limit  names  in  the  notice  would  •automatically  initiate  a  re-inspection. 
Upon  re-ins-pection,  the  inspector  should  be  required  to  certify  as  to  the 
exact  condition  of  the  sidewalk.  If  the  terms  of  the  notice  to  repair  had 
not  been  complied  with,  the  work  could  then  be  undertaken  by  the  depart- 
ment. 

DEFINITION  OF  RESPONSIBILITY  NEEDED. 

At  present,  it  is  necessary  for  the  council  to  pass  a  special  resolution 
before  a  property  owner  can  be  forced  to  repair  a  sidewalk,  or  before  the 
department  can  undertake  the  work  and  charge  the  cost  to  the  owner.. 
Either  the  commissioner  in  charge  of  the  department  of  streets  and  public 
improvements  should  be  given  authority  to  undertake  the  repair  of  a  side- 
walk after  a  period  of  20  days  has  elapsed  from  date  of  the  serving  of  the 
notice  or  the  commissioner  should  be  required  to  report  once  a  month  the 
location  of  all  defective  sidewalks  where  the  owner  has  failed  to  respond  to 
the   notice   to   repair. 

PERMITS  FOR  SIDEWALK  CONSTRUCTION. 

Whenever  a  sidewalk  is  to  be  repaired  or  reconstructed,  the  contractor 
is  required  to  take  out  a  permit,  for  which  the  fee  of  one  dollar  is  charged. 
This  permit  is  issued  by  the  city  clerk,  but,  with  .the  exception  of  informal 
communications  between  the  city  clerk  and  the  employees  of  the  city  engi- 
neer's office,  no  notice  of  the  issuance  of  this  permit  is  sent  to  the  depart- 
ment of  streets  and  public  improvements.  Naturally,  there  can  be  no- 
regular  inspection  of  the  workmanship  in  construction,  reconstruction  and 
repairing  of  sidewalks  throughout  the   city. 

Whenever  a  permit  for  sidewalk  repair  or  reconstruction  is  granted,  an 
individual  notice  should  be  forwarded  to  the  department,  and  in  turn  sent 
to  an  inspector  for  report.     (This  procedure  has  been  corrected). 

CHARGES  TOO  LOW. 

The  fee  of  one  dollar  charged  for  a  permit  to  repair  or  reconstruct  a 
sidewalk  is  entirely  too  low  if  proper  inspection  of  the  work  is  to  be  en- 
forced. The  permittee  should  be  required  to  pay  the  cost  of  inspection  and 
supervision  and  the  cost  of  the  issuance  of  the  permit.  We  would  suggest 
that  the  charge  for  this  permit  be  made  either  a  flat  rate  of  five  dollars,  or 
more  preferably,  a  charge  proportionate  to  the  area  of  the  sidewalk  under 
repair   or   construction. 

NEED  FOR  SIDEWALK  PROGRAM. 

In  order  that  this  problem  may  be  clearly  presented  to  the  council  and 
to  the  citizens,  we  suggest  that  a  complete  inspection  of  sidewalk  conditions 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 259 

be  made  at  once,  and  that  the  results  of  each  inspection  be  shown  graphi- 
cally on  a  map  of  the  city.  The  condition  of  the  various  sidewalks  could 
be  grouped  under  four  heads — 

1.  Satisfactory 

2.  Passable 

3.  Unsightly 

4.  Dangerous 

After  such  a  map  has  been  prepared,  council  should  by  ordinance  defi- 
nitely specify  the  time  limits  which  should  be  granted  to  various  property 
owners  in  order  to  place  the  dangerous  and  unsightly  sidewalks  in  proper 
condition. 

NEED  FOR  STANDARD  SPECIFICATIONS. 

No  standard  specifications  for  sidewalk  construction,  reconstruction 
or  repair  have  ever,  been  definitely  promulgated  by  the  department  or  the 
council.  This  fact  has  naturally  been  a  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
obtaining  proper  sidewalk  conditions  and  will  continue  to  be  an  impediment 
in  the  way  of  improving  such  conditions  in  the  future.  What  is  needed 
is  an  ordinance  prescribing  standard  specifications  for  sidewalks  and  curbing 
in  two,  three  or  four  classes  for  various  sections  of  the  city.  Specifications 
for  sidewalks  have  been  standardized  for  so  many  years  that  it  is  impossible 
to  excuse  the  lack  of  them  on  the  ground  of  engineering  difficulties.  The 
quicker  standard  specifications  for  this  work  are  adopted  and  made  a  part 
of  the  applicant's  agreement  when  applying  for  a  permit  to  reconstruct 
or  repair  a  sidewalk,  the  quicker  will  good  sidewalks  in  the  City  of  Reading 
become  a  reality.  (Specifications  for  sidewalks  have  been  prepared  and 
are  now  before   the   council   for  approval). 

ANTIQUATED  SPECIFICATIONS  FOR  CURBING. 

It  was  noted  in  the  ordinance  governing  the  construction  and  recon- 
struction of  sidewalks  and  curbing,  that  special  clauses  had  been  inserted 
excluding  cement  curbs.  Sandstone  curbing  only  is  specified.  When  this 
ordinance  was  passed  sandstone  curbing  may  have  been  cheaper  and  better 
than  cement  curbing.  Today  there  are  many  types  of  curb  construction, 
including  cement  concrete  curbs,  which  are  superior  to  the  sandstone  curb- 
ing. An  ordinance  to  correct  this  condition  was  prepared  by  the  city  engi- 
neer during  1913.  It  was  passed  by  Select  Council  but  failed  in  Common 
Council. 

SIDEWALK   SURFACE   GUTTERS   CRITICISED. 

Probably  the  most  dangerous  and  unsightly  factor  in  sidewalk  con- 
struction is  the  sidewalk  surface  gutters.  These  gutters  are  familiar  to 
every  citizen  of  Reading,  but  the  seriousness  of  the  sidewalk  conditions, 
caused  partly  by  the  continued  use  of  these  surface  drains,  seems  to  warrant 
particular  emphasis.  In  winter  the  gutters  become  filled  with  ice  and 
snow,  making  the  sidewalks  dangerous  for  pedestrians.  At  all  times,  dirt, 
rubbish  and  filth  collect  there  and  create  a  health  menace.  This  present 
situation    has    arisen    largely    through    the    lack    of    definite    authority.      By 


2<fo  DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 


recent  legislation  sufficient  authority  has  been  granted  to  eliminate  these 
conditions.     What  is  needed  now  is  the  enforcement  of  the  city's  rights. 

Sink  water  carried  on  to  a  bituminous  pavement  and  allowed  to  stand 
in  the  gutters  causes  rapid  deterioration  in  the  pavement.  Practically 
every  city  in  the  country  where  surface  drainage  is  permitted  has  had 
difficulty  in  maintaining  the  gutters  of  the  asphalt  and  other  bituminous 
pavements.  Concrete  or  brick  gutters  are  not  affected  materially  by 
alkalies    of   the    sink   water. 

Where  it  is  impossible  to  stop  the  surface  drainage  onto  a  bituminous 
pavement,  it  would  be  economical  to  construct  the  gutters  of  concrete  or 
brick. 


PERMITS 

In,  considering  the  question  of  increasing  the  miscellaneous  revenue  of 
the  city,  a  study  should  be  made  of  the  sidewalk  vaults.  In  each  of  the 
recent  reports  of  miscellaneous  revenue  commissions  of  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia and  Chicago,  suggestions  for  rental  charges  on  vault  space  have 
been  included.  As  a  matter  of  principle,  it  is  certainly  right  that  the  city 
should  obtain  revenue  on  account  of  the  use  of  city-owned  property.  If 
the  manner  of  dedicating  the  streets  of  Reading  gives  to  the  city  a  suffi- 
ciently clear  title  to  permit  a  charge  for  the  use  of  sidewalk  space  for 
vault  purposes,  an  ordinance  authorizing  such  procedure'  should  be  put 
in   force. 

The  determination  of  this  question  is  largely  one  of  law,  and  we  be- 
lieve it  would  be  advisable  for  the  council  to  request  the  city  solicitor 
to  prepare  an  opinion  on  this  subject,  and  at  the  same  time  to  request 
the  city  engineer  to  prepare  a  list  of  all  existing  sidewalk  vaults.  (This 
work  is   already  under  way). 

BUILDING   MATERIALS   PERMITS. 

During  the  construction  of  a  building,  it  is  of  great  advantage  to 
contractors  to  be  permitted  to  use  a  part  of  the  stree  and  sidewalk  for 
the  storage  of  building  materials.  Permits  for  this  purpose  are  granted 
by  the  city  clerk.  As  in  the  case  of  the  use  of  sub-sidewalk  space  for 
varied  purposes  a  permit  for  building  materials  grants  to  the  .contractor 
a  particular  privilege  often  to  the  serious  inconvenience  to  the  general 
public.  For  such  a  privilege  the  contractor  or  owner  should  be  required 
to    pay    a    substantial    fee. 

This  practice  has  recently  been  put  into  operation  by  many  of  the 
large  cities,  particularly  Boston,  and  the  revenue  obtained  more  than  pays 
for  the  cost  of  inspection  and  the  restoration  of  any  pavement  damaged. 
The  institution  of  this  practice  in  the  City  of  Reading  would  increase  the 
revenues,  permit  more  thorough  inspection  while  the  permit  is  being  used 
without  additional  expense  to  the  general  comimunity,  and  insure  the 
proper  restoration  of  any  pavement  damaged  during  the  course  of  the 
operation.  (The  ordinance  to  control  building  material  permits  is  now 
before    council). 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  261 

INSPECTION 

The  inspection  force  of  the  department  of  streets  and  public  improve- 
ments consists  of  two  highway  inspectors  and  one  street  cleaning  inspector, 
not  including  the  inspector  of  buildings.  The  force  is  too  small,  the  men 
not  properly  trained  and  the  procedure  inadequate.  The  results  obtained 
are  naturally  far  from  what  is  necessary  to  provide  sufficient  information 
for  administration  and  to  control  the  field  work. 

Public  works  inspection  may  be  divided  into  two  main  problems:  (1) 
inspection  to  determine  work  necessary  to  be  done,  and  (2)  inspection 
of  work  authorized  in  order  to  insure  that  proper  workmanship  is  obtained 
and  proper  materials  used.  Both  kinds  of  inspection  are  essential  for 
proper    public    works    administration. 

PATROL    INSPECTION. 

Patrol  inspection  is  that  kind  of  inspection  which  should  provide  infor- 
mation as  to  work  necessary  to  be  done.  This  includes  the  reporting  of 
defective  pavements,  sidewalks,  street  signs,  clogged  sewers  and  catch 
basins,  and  in  fact,  every  kind  of  public  works  defect  or  violation  which 
can  be  observed  from  an  ordinary  patrol  of  the  streets.  At  the  present 
time    but    two    inspectors    are    assigned   to   this    work. 

If  the  City  of  Reading  were  divided  into  four  or  five  inspection  dis- 
tricts more  efficient  inspection  of  work  necessary  to  be  done  could  be 
obtained,  and  at  the  same  time  part  of  the  services  of  the  inspectors 
could  be  devoted  to  the  supervision  of  the  restoration  of  cuts,  the  storage 
of  building  material,  inspection  of  water  and  various  other  incidental 
inspections. 

There  are  approximately  120  miles  of  streets  and  roads  in  the  City 
of  Reading.  In  order  to  obtain  efficient  patrol  service,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  district  the  city.  Six  sections  wrould  be  ample.  Each  of  these 
sections  should  be  assigned  to  a  section  patrolman,  who  should  report 
on  all  public  works  defects  and  any  other  kind  of  violation  noticeable  from 
a  patrol   of  the   streets. 

In  order  to  obtain  the  maximum  efficiency  from  patrol  inspectors,  it 
is.  essential  that  they  be  provided  with  efficient  field  reporting  forms.  The 
kind  of  forms  needed  here  will  be  explained  in  greater  detail  in  the 
section    on   costs. 

POLICE  AND   CITIZEN   CO-OPERATION. 

Under  the  present  practice,  more  or  less  informal,  usually  oral  reports 
On  public  works  defects  are  received  by  the  department  from  the  various 
police  officers.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  police  officer  could  not  be  of 
great  value  in  providing  prompt  and  accurate  information  on  all  kinds 
of  public  works  defects.  In  order  to  obtain  intelligent  reports  from  police 
officers  it  is  necessary  that  they  be  instructed  in  their  duties  and  provided 
with    proper    report    forms. 

The  City  of  Philadelphia  has  recently  tried  out  with  considerable 
success  the  principle  of  police  reports  in  postal  card  form.  These  postal 
card    reports    are   issued   in   booklets    to    all    patrolmen    and   to    citizens    and 


2(j2  DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

civic  organizations  actively  interested  in  the  city  government.  The  cards 
are  self  addressed  to  a  complaint  division  of  the  department  of  public 
works,  so  with  the  exception  of  the  time  taken  in  delivering  the  mail,  no 
time  is  lost  in  getting  the  information  to  the  proper  officials.  Consider- 
ing the  fact  that  most  inefficient  public  works  administration  of  main- 
tenance problems  is  due  to  the  lack  of  sufficient  information  in  the  main 
office  about  defective  conditions  in  the  field,  the  value  of  such  police 
co-operation   can   hardly  be   overestimated. 

If  citizens  and  civic  organizations  were  also  provided  with  these  postal 
card  report  forms,  much  valuable  information  would  be  received  by  the 
department  which  otherwise  might  be  evidenced  only  through  complaints 
against    the    administration.  • 

PERSONNEL. 

The  need  for  civil  service  in  training  men  for  city  employ  has  been 
pointed  out  in  detail  in  the  survey  reports  already  submitted.  There  is 
no  one  operation,  however,  where  efficient  civil  service  would  be  of  more 
effect  than  in  the  lower  grades  of  the  engineering  service,  such  as  the 
engineering    inspection    service. 

The  city  engineer  has  requested  increases  in  salary  for  the  sewer 
and  paving  inspectors  to  a  minimum  of  three  dollars  per  day.  As  a  matter 
of  principle,  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  would  question  a  policy 
which  seemed  to  value  inspection  service  only  to  the  extent  of  the  use 
of  three-dollar-a-day  men.  The  important  point  is  not  the  salary  but  the 
realization  that  good  and  adequate  inspection  on  contract  work  will  save 
or  cost  the  city  thousands  of  dollars  every  year.  The  salary  to  be  paid 
to  inspectors  is  a  question  for  a  salary  standardization  study.  There  is 
much  doubt,  however,  whether  three  dollars  a  day  is  sufficient  compensa- 
tion to  obtain  men  with  proper  training  or  ability  to  carry  out  the  func- 
tions of  a  public  works  contract  inspector. 

SPECIAL  NEED    FOR  TRAINED   MEN. 

The  investigation  of  the  public  works  in  Reading  has  disclosed  defec- 
tive conditions  which,  if  corrected  in  the  near  future,  will  involve  a  great 
deal  of  contract  work.  Better  contract  inspection  must  be  secured  through 
the    appointment    of   properly   qualified   men    for   this   work. 

The  department  of  streets  and  public  improvements  in  Reading  has 
been  inadequately  equipped  in  engineering  and  inspection  service  to  super- 
vise the  work  necessary  to  be  done. 


STREET  CLEANING  AND  GARBAGE  COLLECTION 

THE   PRESENT   SITUATION. 

Cleaning  of  streets,  sewer  catch  basins  and  inlets  along  paved  streets 
is  now  done  under  a  three-year  contract,  which  expires  June  14,  1914. 
For  the  cleaning  of  each  square  540  feet  long,  irrespective  of  the  width  of 
the   driveway   (from   16  to  48  feet)   the   contract  price   is   $10.48  per  square 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  263 

per  month  (excepting  Penn  Square,  which  is  considered  as  four  squares, 
48  feet  wide).  A  further  sum  of  eighty  cents  is  paid  for  cleaning  each 
sewer  catch  basin  or  inlet.  Extra  flushing  costs  $1.25  a  month  for  each 
square.  The  estimated  total  cost  of  this  work  per  month  is  approximately 
Penalties  for  non-compliance  with  terms  of  contract  are  imposed 
and  deducted  from  the  monthly  payments  due  the  contractor.  Day  clean- 
ing must  be  done  between  7  A.  M.  and  6  P.  M.;  night  cleaning  between 
9  P.  M.  and  7  A.  M.  All  cleaning  must  be  done  as  required,  and  to  the 
satisfaction   of  the   engineer. 

The  condition  of  many  of  the  paved  streets  does  not  speak  highly 
for  the  efficiency  of  the  street  cleaning  contractor  or  the  inspection  by 
the  city.  The  streets  might  be  dirtier  but  they  ought  to  be  cleaner,  a 
matter  which  should  be  kept  in  mind  at  the  expiration  of  the  present 
contract. 

INSPECTION    METHODS. 

It  is  unquestionably  true  that  one  street  cleaning  inspector  cannot  be 
expected  to  report  efficiently  on  the  street  cleaning  operations  for  the 
entire  city  unless  proper  transportation  facilities  be  provided  for  him. 

There  is  no  particular  complexity  or  technique  in  the  problem  of 
street  cleaning  inspection  which  requires  the  service  of  a  specially  trained 
man.  Any  man  trained  as  a  general  public  works  inspector  could  earn- 
on  the  work  very  easily.  As  has  been  pointed  out  in  this  report  in  the 
section  dealing  with  the  general  public  works  inspection  problem,  the 
establishment  of  an  efficient  patrol  inspection  and  co-operation  with  the 
police   department   would   eliminate   all  necessity  for   special   inspectors. 

CITY  SHOULD  CLEAN  ITS  OWN  STREETS. 

There  are  so  many  advantages  of  a  city-operated  street  cleaning  force 
and  so  many  difficulties  in  the  way  of  proper  administration  of  a  street 
cleaning  contract,  that  if  possible  the  city  should  undertake  this  kind  of 
work  with  its  own  forces.  Within  four  months  the  present  street  cleaning 
contract  will  expire,  and  something  should  be  done  immediately  by  the 
department  of  public  works  to  investigate  the  problems  involved  in  the 
continuation  of  this  work.  The  best  course  would  be  for  the  city  to  under- 
take the  work,  but  unless  something  be  done  immediately  to  plan  for 
yards,  equipment  and  general  field  forces,  this  will  be  impossible.  It  is 
a  large  problem,  not  on  account  of  technical'  complications  but  on  account 
of  the  great  numbc  of  details  which  must  receive  attention  before  a 
municipal  street  cleaning  force  can  be  put  to  work. 

The  city  should  be  mapped.  Standard  routes  should  be  laid  out  and 
detailed  investigations  made  of  the  various  kinds  of  cleaning  necessary. 
Specifications  should  be  prepared  for  the  purchase  of  street  cleaning  equip- 
ment, yard  room  provided  and  the  organization  perfected. 

DIFFICULTIES    IN    ADMINISTRATION    OF    STREET    CLEANING 
CONTRACTS. 

Wherever    contracts    for    street    cleaning    and    garbage    removal    have 


264 DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

been  used,  it  has  always  been  found  that  the  difficulty  came  entirely  iti 
the  administration  of  the  contract.  There  is  no  definite  unit  for  this  work; 
no  definite  means  for  determining  how  well  the  work  has  been  done. 
Administration  of  a  street  cleaning  or  garbage  removal  contract  means 
administration  by  imposition  of  fines.  This  is  the  case  in  Reading.  The 
trouble  always  has  been  that  inaccurate  or  over-personal  reports  of  various 
street  cleaning  inspectors  have  not  been  substantiated  by  the  courts  when 
the  city  has  attempted  to  use  them  for  imposing  fines.  Moreover,  the 
imposition  of  fines  and  deductions  from  payment  in  work  of  this  sort  is 
equally  unpleasant  for  the  contractor  and  the  city  council.  There  is  a 
tendency  on  the  part  of  every  official  required  to  administer  a  contract 
involving  the   determination   of   fines   to   dodge   the   issue. 

Philadelphia  is  the  last  large  city  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  to 
carry  on  this  street  cleaning  work  by  contract,  and  every  effort  is  being 
made  now  in  that   city  to   establish   a  municipal   street   cleaning   service. 

Reading  will  soon  have  an  opportunity  to  install  municipal  street 
cleaning.     It  is   an   opportunity  which   should   not  be   overlooked. 

NEED   FOR  UNIFORMS. 

There  is  nothing  more  effective  in  the  appearance  of  the  streets  of 
any  city  than  a  well  disciplined,  orderly,  efficient,  uniformed  force  for 
street  cleaning.  This  means  white  uniforms  for  the  blockmen  and  some 
standard  serviceable  uniform  for  the  cartmen  and  machine  broom  handlers. 
The  appearance  of  a  well  disciplined  uniformed  force  in  cleaning  city 
streets  is  well  worth  the  slight  additional  cost.  No  matter  whether  the 
present  contract  system  of  street  cleaning  is  to  be  continued  or  municipal 
street  cleaning  is  to  be  inaugurated,  in  either  case  the  street  cleaning  force 
should  be   put   in   uniform. 

STREET  CLEANING  AN  INTERLOCKING  FUNCTION. 

The  greatest  advantages  of  a  municipal  street  cleaning  force  are  not 
apparent  to  the  average  citizen.  One  of  these  is  typified  by  the  contractual 
relation  between  the  city  and  the  contractor.  According  to  the  present 
practice,  the  street  cleaning  contractor  is  required  to  clean  sewer  catch 
basins  and  inlets  as  well  as  the  streets.  This  is  a  commendable  practice,, 
and  one  which  should  be  continued  if  the  city  decides  to  perform  the 
service  itself,  but  the  very  beneficial  results  in  economy  and  efficiency 
which  may  be  obtained  by  the  intimate  association  of  street  cleaning  and 
highway  work  are  not  obtained  under  the  present  contract,  nor  can  they 
be  obtained  until  the  city  undertakes   street  cleaning  with  its   own  forces. 

The  so-called  German  plan  of  making  light  repairs  to  macadam  roads 
(of  which  there  are  80  miles  in  Reading)  and  to  streets  accomodating 
light  traffic,  is  to  provide  the  street  cleaning  force  with  proper  material 
for  carrying  on  this  work.  The  economy  is  effected  largely  through  the 
elimination  of  duplication  in  haul,  which  is  invariably  the  largest  factor 
in   repair  costs   in   outlying   sections. 

In  recent  years  many  cities  have  undertaken  this  kind  of  co-operative 
street  cleaning  and  highway  work,  and  the  results  obtained,  for  example, 
in  the  Borough  of  Richmond,  New  York  City,  are  typical  of  the  economies 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS.  265 

which  may  be  effected  through  this  plan.  Neither  the  street  cleaning 
nor  highway  problems  in  Reading  offer  unique  difficulties,  which  would 
interfere  with  the  successful  operation  of  the  plan:  and  it  is  suggested 
that  it  be  tested  thoroughly. 

GARBAGE  AND  WASTE. 

In  connection  with  the  establishment  of  a  municipal  street  cleaning 
force,  the  question  of  the  collection  and  disposal  of  garbage  and  waste  by 
the  department  should  also  be  considered.  With  a  unit  cost  as  low  as 
"$1.94  per  ton  for  collection  and  disposal  of  garbage,  there  could  be  no 
objection  to  the  present  methods  on  the  cost  side  at  least.  The  garbage 
contract  will  expire  on  April  5th  of  this  year,  and  a  substantial  increase 
in  the  cost  can  be  expected.  It  is  a  problem  which  must  be  taken  up  at 
once.  The  fact  that  these  problems  have  not  already  been  settled  may 
seriously  inconvenience  the  city  unless  it  is  found  possible  to  extend  the 
present   contract   for   a   few   months. 

Note:  Since  this  survey  was  made  proposals  for  collecting  and  dis- 
posing of  garbage  have  been  advertised  and  bids  received.  These 
bids  are  not  satisfactory  either  from  the  standpoint  of  costs  or 
operation.     The  collection  of  ashes   and  waste  has  not  been  included. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  collection  and  disposal  of  garbage  may  be  considered  under  three 
lieads — 

1.  Collection  and  incineration  by  the  city 

2.  Collection  and  incineration  by  contract 

3.  Collection  and   reduction  by  contract    (present  method) 

There  are,  of  course,  other  alternatives,  but  considering  the  present 
situation  in  Reading,  we  would  not  advise  the  consideration  of  any  other 
plans   than   the   three   listed   above. 

COLLECTION   AND    INCINERATION    BY   THE    CITY. 

If  this  plan  is  to  be  followed,  it  means  that  the  city  must  build  an 
incinerator  for  burning  the  garbage  and  organize  a  municipal  collecting 
force.  The  experience  of  other  cities  gives  preference  to  this  plan,  espe- 
cially if  the  city  is  to  provide  for  a  municipal  street  cleaning  force. 

An  incinerator  which  would  burn   75  tons  per  24  hours   of  garbage   and 

e  could  be  constructed  for  approximately  $60,000  to  $70,000.  The 
operating  cost  would  not  exceed  $10,000  to  $12,000  per  year.  A  unit  operat- 
ing cost  per  ton  of  not  to  exceed  fifty  cents  should  be  specified  in  the 
contract   for  the  construction   of  the  plant. 

The  adoption  of  this  plan  would  mean  that  the  present  inadequate  and 
irregular  collection  of  household  waste  by  private  scavengers  could  be 
eliminated.  Collection  by  private  scavengers  is  expensive  and  annoying. 
They  are  not  subject  to  any  discipline  and  naturally  not  dependable.  Although 
these  scavengers  are  not  paid  out  of  the  city  treasury,  they  are  paid  by 
the  community.  Wherever  it  has  been  possible  to  analyze  the  prices 
charged    by    the    -  rs,    and    what    municipal    collection    would    cost,    it 


266        DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

has  been  found  that  the  private  scavenger  costs  the  community  more  than 
municipal  collection.  But  aside  from  the  question  of  cost  there  can  be  no- 
comparison  between  the  service  under  the  two  plans. 

COLLECTION  AND   DISPOSAL  BY   CONTRACT. 

The  only  advantage  this  plan  would  have  over  the  former  is  that  the- 
contractor  would  be  forced  to  shoulder  the  operating  difficulties  .  We  do 
not  feel  that  these  difficulties  of  operation  are  so  serious  that  the  depart- 
ment of  streets  and  public  improvements  could  not  overcome  them,  if 
such  work  were  placed  under  their  supervision.  If  the  officials  of  the 
department  are  not  competent  to  administer  the  kind  of  problems  involved 
by  municipal  collection  and  disposal,  it  would  be  well  for  the  city  to  find 
it  out. 

This  plan  necessitates  the  adoption  of  an  "operating  contract"  and 
such  contracts  are  extremely  difficult  to  administer.  It  is  difficult,  if  at 
all  possible,  to  center  responsibility  for  failure,  and  control  must  be  obtained 
through  fines  or  deductions  from  payments. 

COLLECTION    AND    REDUCTION    BY    CONTRACT. 

The  only  reason  this  plan  has  been  included  in  the  discussion  is  that 
it  is  the  plan  now  used  for  carrying  on  this  work.  It  is  not  feasible  for 
much  further  use.  It  offers  the  same  difficulties  as  the  collection  ?|nd 
incineration  by  contract.  In  addition,  it  would  not  be  possible  to  dispose 
of  rubbish  and  ashes  at  a  garbage  reduction  plant.  Due  to  the  fact  also 
that  reduction  plants  have  not  proved  economical  in  the  smaller  cities 
where  the  garbage  is  not  concentrated  or  "rich,"  the  cost  would  be  probably 
higher  than  under  either  of  the  other  two  methods. 


ACCOUNTING  AND  OFFICE  METHODS 

It  has  often  been  said  that  the  efficiency  of  a  business  organization 
varies  directly  with  the  adequacy  of  the  cost  and  expense  records,  and 
that  cost  and  expense  records  mean  efficient  administration.  This  is 
largely  true,  not  only  of  private  business  corporations  but  of  city  depart- 
ments as  well.  We  would  hesitate  in  this  report  to  judge  the  department 
of  streets  and  public  improvements  in  Reading  solely  by  its  cost  records. 
What  cost  records  there  are — and  very  little  cost  data  has  been  obtained 
— have   been   improperly    prepared    and    are    of   questionable    accuracy. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  COST  RECORDS. 

Accurate  statistics  of  the  cost  of  any  kind  of  work  provide  a  basis  for 
testing  the  efficiency  of  administration.  Unit  costs  of  contracting  and 
maintaining  highways,  sewers  and  sidewalks  and  a  summary  of  such  costs 
in  proper  expense  groups,  would  provide  a  means  for  determining  the 
efficiency  of  the  department.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  wide-awake 
citizen  could  not  make  an  intelligent  test  of  the  work  of  the  department 
by    investigating    the    costs    of   various    detailed    operations.      Such    records. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. -_7 

should  be  printed  in  quarterly  and  monthly  reports  during  the  construction 
season  and  included  in  the  regular  annual  report. 

The  great  advantage  of  current  cost  records  and  proper  summaries 
comes  in  the  administration  of  field  work.  If  the  cost  of  repairing  various 
macadam  roads  were  currently  prepared  and  summarized  in  proper  form 
for  the  commissioner  or  city  engineer,  a  means  would  be  provided  for 
determining  the  relative  efficiency  of  various  foremen  employed  on  the 
work,  and  the  relative  economy  of  various  types  of  pavement.  If  such 
costs  were  summarized  by  blocks  and  intersections,  the  city  council  would 
have  an  accurate  basis  for  determining  whether  it  would  be  of  economical 
advantage  to  repave  instead  of  repair. 

If  the  expense  summaries  for  five  years  were  shown  in  the  annual 
report  the  citizen  could  find  out  whether  the  tax  rate  should  be  increased 
or  lowered. 

NEED  FOR  PROPER  FORMS. 

The  chief  reason  for  the  lack  of  adequate  cost  records  is  the  difficulty 
in  obtaining  accurate  information  from  the  field.  In  many  city  departments 
where  the  administrators  have  realized  the  real  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  cost  records,  the  work  has  been  put  off  indefinitely  on  account  of 
difficulties  in  detail.  Particularly  in  public  works  departments  this  has 
been  the  most  serious  obstacle,  but  the  preparation  of  proper  field  forms 
for  reporting  of  work  done  and  material  used  is  largely  overcoming  the 
difficulties. 

All  field  reports  should  be  drawn  to  a  standard  size,  convenient  for 
handling  in  the  field.  Such  forms  should  be  in  loose  leaf,  and  prepared 
in  such  a  manner  that  by  proper  filing  in  the  main  office,  summaries  and 
recapitulations  will  be  automatic.  The  forms  now  in  use  are  of  all  sizes 
and  descriptions.  Some  of  the  most  important  notes  are  kept  in  special 
semi-private  note  books.  The  payroll  and  general  time  data  are  not  pre- 
pared in  the  field  in  such  manner  as  to  assist  the  determination  of  costs 
in  the  main  office.  With  the  present  records,  the  assembling  of  cost  data 
would  mean   a  very   cumbersome   and   expensive   process. 

If  standard  form  sizes  for  field  reports  be  adopted  and  standard  re- 
porting methods  be  prescribed,  and  if  in  the  forms  designed  the  effect 
of  such  report,  after  it  reaches  the  main  office,  be  kept  continually  in 
mind,  this  difficulty  could  be  completely  avoided. 

ADVANTAGES  OF   PROPER  FILING  METHODS. 

In  a  public  works  department,  particularly  as  it  affects  highways,  sewers, 
bridges  and  sidewalks,  the  fundamental  basis  for  filing  must  be  location.  No 
matter  whether  the  material  consists  of  cost  records,  citizens'  complaints 
or  inspectors'  reports,  the  most  important  element  is  location.  The  whole 
filing  system  of  tire  city  engineer's  office  should  be  revised  with  the  basic 
principle  of  location-indexing  in  mind. 

THE  BLOCK  AND  INTERSECTION  FILE. 

It   has   been   found,    after    experience   with   various    filing    systems,    that 


268 DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

the  best  and  most  efficient  filing  plan  is  the  block  and  intersection;  using 
one  city  block  and  one  intersection  as  a  basis.  With  the  exception  of 
correspondence  and  special  reports,  all  field  reports,  whether  from  a  patrol 
inspector,  a  policeman  or  a  foreman  of  a  gang,  could  be  filed  in  one  block 
and  intersection  file  in  such  a  way  that  recapitulation,  either  to  show  expense 
or  work  necessary  to  be  done,  would  be  greatly  facilitated. 

The  principle  of  a  block  and  intersection  file  is  very  simple.  The  only 
thing  necessary  is  to  secure  a  standard  filing  cabinet  for  field  report  forms, 
usually  an  8  x  5  drawer  file  for  filing  reports  on  the  8-inch  base.  By  means 
of  guide  cards,  the  drawer  space  in  such  a  filing  cabinet  could  be  separated 
into  street  blocks  and  intersections.  By  means  of  immediate  guide  cards 
the  current  reports  could  be  separated  from  the  completed  matters.  This 
kind  of  a  filing  system,  providing  for  the  automatic  summarizing  of  cost 
data  and  historical  information,  is  in  use  in  an  increasing  number  of  public 
works  departments.  It  is  efficient  and  simple.  In  any  event,  a  new  filing 
system  for  all  kinds  of  data  is  needed  immediately,  and  the  Bureau  of 
Municipal  Research  knows  of  no  better  one  than  that  outlined  in  the  pre- 
vious paragraphs   of  this  section  of  the  report. 

FIRE-PROOF  PROTECTION   NEEDED   FOR  THE   REGISTRATION 
PLANS. 

Something  should  be  done  at  once  to  protect  the  plans  and  other  official 
documents  in  the  files  of  the  department  from  fire  and  theft.  At  the  present 
time  the  registered  plans,  most  of  which  could  never  be  duplicated  if  lost, 
and  other  valuable  topographical  data,  are  stored  in  the  engineer's  office 
with  practically  no  protection  in  case  of  fire.  Steel  filing  cases  would  reduce 
the  danger  somewhat,  but  fire-proof  vaults  should  be  provided  either  in 
city  hall  or  in  an  adjoining  building.  It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the 
loss  to  the  community  if  these  plans,  were  destroyed,  yet,  under  present 
conditions,  a  fire  at  city  hall  would  probably  destroy  them  completely. 


GENERAL  CONSIDERATIONS 

OVERHEAD  WIRES  SHOULD  BE  PLACED  UNDERGROUND. 

In  recommending  that  the  overhead  wires  of  at  least  the  downtown- 
districts,  or  what  might  be  considered  the  inside  fire  limits,  be  placed 
underground,  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  realizes  the  difficulties  to 
be  overcome  in  carrying  out  such  a  suggestion.  It  is  not  the  work  of  one 
year  or  two  years.  It  is  a  work  which  involves  much  legal  discussion  on 
franchise  rights  and  privileges,  and  a  great  deal  of  engineering  study,  but 
many  cities  have  solved  the  problem,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  Reading 
cannot   do   the   same. 

An  excellent  start  has  already  been  made  in  requiring  the  Metropolitan 
Electric  Company  to  place  certain  of  its  wires  underground.  An  ordinance 
was  passed  establishing  an  "underground  district,"  bounded  on  the  south 
by  Chestnut  street,  on  the  north  by  Elm  street,  on  the  east  by  Eleventh 
street  and  on  the  west  by  River  road  and  Front  street,  and  under  its 
requirements    practically    25    miles    of    conduits    have    been    laid.      Nothing. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 269 

however,  has  been  done  to  place  the  telephone,  telegraph  or  city  fire  alarm 
wires   underground. 

A  study  of  this  problem  should  be  undertaken  at  once,  and  plans  for 
removal  of  the  overhead  wiring  authorized  as  a  concrete  problem  by  the 
council.  This  is  another  problem  where,  without  the  united  backing  of 
civic  organizations  and  citizens,  it  will  be  practically  impossible  for  the 
city  authorities  to  carry  out  the  program. 

POOR    CONTROL   OVER   BUILDING   CONSTRUCTION. 

To  expect  one  building  inspector,  no  matter  how  able  he  may  be,  to 
supervise,  investigate  and  pass  on  all  plans  and  specifications  for  new 
buildings,  and  to  make  sure  that  building  construction  and  repair  are  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  city,  is  to  expect  the  im- 
possible. 

The  work  of  the  building  inspector  during  the  past  year  consisted  in 
passing  on  plans  and  specifications  for  378  buildings  of  various  kinds,  esti- 
mated to  cost  $1,571,425.  It  is  not  possible  for  one  man  to  do  justice  to 
such   a   task. 

READING  HAS  NO   REAL  BUILDING  CODE. 

The  only  legal  restrictions  governing  the  construction  and  repair  of 
buildings  in  the  City  of  Reading  today  consist  of  a  number  of  independent 
ordinances.  The  specifications  of  these  ordinances  are  in  many  cases 
obsolete  according  to  present  day  practices,  and  together  are  totally  inade- 
quate to  control  building  operations.  There  are  any  number  of  very  im- 
portant requirements  completely  ignored  in  these  ordinances;  for  example, 
no  restriction  is  placed  on  the  owner  or  contractor  limiting  the  improve- 
ments in  height  and  area  by  a  fixed  percentage  of  the  total  lot  area,  and 
types  of  construction  which  reduce  the  fire  risk  have  been  too  loosely 
defined. 

This  subject  is  certainly  not  new  to  the  citizens  of  Reading,  for  a 
code  was  drafted  during  1913  and  recommended  by  the  law  committee  of 
councils  but  failed  of  adoption  by  councils  as  a  whole.  What  is  needed 
now  is  not  more  reports  or  more  investigations,  but  prompt  action  by  the 
council  to  provide  an  effective  code  for  controlling  this  very  important 
municipal  problem. 

SEWAGE   PURIFICATION   PLANT   SHOULD   BE   ENLARGED. 

Records  of  daily  laboratory  tests  indicate  that  the  sewerage  purification 
plant  is  being  operated  satisfactorily.  The  pumping  station  has  been  re- 
cently equipped  with  two  electrically-operated  centrifugal  pumps,  with  a 
total  rated  capacity  of  14,000,000  gallons  daily.  If  kept  in  good  condition, 
these  pumps  will  be  ample  for  two  or  three  years.  An  additional  pump 
may   be   conveniently   installed   when    required. 

Failure  to  appropriate  sufficient  funds  to  clean  settling  tanks  and  filter 
beds  or  to  repair  a  machine  when  out  of  order,  is  a  mistake  which  should 
not    be    repeated.      It    is    neither    a    wise    nor    economical    practice    to    delay 


272 DEPARTMENT  OF  STREETS. 

necessary  repairs,  especially  in  matters  where  the  health  of  the  community 
may  be  affected.  The  quantity  of  sewage  now  being  treated  is  more  than 
double  the  quantity  treated  four  or  five  years  ago.  It  is  recommended, 
therefore,  that  plans  for  extending  and  improving  the  plant  should  be  made 
without   delav. 


Weiler's  Printing    House  '*®X^   440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  NINE 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

Department  of  Accounts 
and  Finance 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

JANUARY  AND  JUNE,  1914 
10  CENTS 


C  ONTENTS 


Page 

Foreword    275 

Criticisms  and  Constructive  Suggestions  on  Organization,  Personnel  and 

Procedure    276 

Assessment  of  Taxes   , 287 

Bonded  Debt  and  Sinking  Funds  293 

Control  of  Miscellaneous  Receipts    298 

Budget 299 

Collection,  Custody  and  Disbursement  of  Public  Funds 305 

Finance,  Accounting  and  Auditing   313 

Purchase,  Storage  and  Testing  of  Supplies  and  Materials 321 

Time  and  Service  Records   327 

Salary  Standardization    331 

Civil  Service   332 

Miscellaneous     334 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— FOREWORD 


FOREWORD 


The  survey  of  the  finances  and  accounts  of  the  City  of  Reading,  of 
which  this  report  is  the  result,  was  made  during  the  mqnths  of  November 
and  December,  1913. 

Immediately  after  the  change  of.  government  on  December  1st  last, 
Mr.  G.  F.  Eisenbrown,  the  newly  appointed  Superintendent  of  Accounts  and 
Finance,  appeared  before  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Directors  and  asked 
that  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  be  relieved  from  the  immediate 
obligation  of  writing  the  report  on  the  survey  of  financial  conditions  and 
methods  in  order  that  the  reorganization  of  the  city  government,  especially 
on  the  financial  side,  might  be  undertaken-  by  .them  without  delay. 

It  was  considered  that  such  an  opportunity  should  not  be  neglected,  it 
being  far  more  important  to  get  the  actual  work  under  way  and  to  correct 
conditions  than  to  write  a  report  showing  how  improper  conditions  could 
be  corrected.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce,  therefore,  agreed  to  the  post- 
ponement of  the  writing  of  the  report  pending  the  completion  of  the  reor- 
ganization and   installation  work. 

This  enabled  the  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research  to  enter  into  a  contract 
With  the  city  to  devise  and  install  a  complete  centralized  accounting  system 
and  a  segregated  functionalized  budget.  The  work  was  recently  brought 
to  a  successful  conclusion  and  the  majority  of  the  recommendations  con- 
tained in  the  report  have  already  been  carried  out.  A  list  of  these  is  sub- 
mitted herewith,  together  with  a  statement  of  the  recommendations  which 
have  not  yet  been  fully  carried  out.  A  few  of  the  latter  have  been  consid- 
ered by  the  City  Council  and  in  some  cases  the  recommendations  are  being 
carried  out,  although  the  work  is  not  yet  completed. 


276   DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY. 


DEPARTMENT  OF 
ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  CARRIED  OUT 


ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL. 

That  the  revenues  and  expenditures  of  the  city  be  properly  controlled 
and   responsibility  therefor   clearly   defined. 

That  a  complete  reorganization  of  the  city's  finances  and  accounts  be 
undertaken  by   the   new   administration. 

That  all  matters  relating  to  finance  and  accounting  be  placed  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Department  of  Accounts  and  Fin- 
ance. 

That  the  Department  of  Accounts  and  Finance  be  divided  into  six  divi- 
sion or  bureaus,  each  exercising  distinctive  functions. 

That  the  superintendent  be  provided  with  a  competent  stenographer. 

That  the  Bureau  of  Tax  Assessments  be  provided  with  a  clerk  competent 
to  keep  all  necessary  tax  records. 

That  a  competent  draftsman  be  appointed  to  prepare  proper  tax  maps. 

That  a  Bureau  of  Revenue  Control  be  organized  and  placed  in  charge 
of  an  auditor  of  receipts. 

That  this  bureau  be  divided  into  two  main  divisions,  one  of  which  should 
exercise  control  over  water  revenues  and  the  other  accounting  control  over 
taxes  and  miscellaneous  revenues. 

That  a  properly  qualified  clerk  be  appointed  to  assisf  in  the  detail  work 
of  these  divisions,  who  could  prepare  bills  for  taxes  and  water  charges  and 
thus  avoid  the  need  for  the  appointment  of  temporary  billing  clerks  during 
rush  periods. 

That,  the  Bureau  of  Revenue  Control  be  provided  with  an  adequate 
inspection  force  for  work  in  the  field. 

That  these  field  inspectors  be  placed  under  the  supervision  of  a  chief 
inspector,  reporting  directly  to  the  head  of  the  bureau. 

That  a  Bureau  of  the  Treasury  be  created  under  the  City  Treasurer, 
assisted  by  a  cashier,  entry  clerk  and  bill  clerk. 

That  during  tax-collecting  periods  a  temporary  bill  clerk  be  appointed 
for  the  convenience  of  the  public. 

That,  if  found  necessary,  Still  another  clerk  be  appointed  during  the  rush 
seasons  to  check  coupons  and  attend  to  mail  remittances. 

That  a  competent  purchasing  agent  be  appointed. 

That  a  Bureau  of  Accounts  be  created  and  that  a  competent  accountant 
be  placed  in  charge. 

That  a  clerk  be  provided  to  work  exclusively  in  this  bureau. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUM  A.   .XV.    277 


ASSESSMENT  OF  TAXES. 

That  the  clerk  now  attending  to  transfers  and  general  office  work  in  the 
Bureau  of  Tax  Assessments  be  transferred  to  the  Bureau  of  Revenue  Con- 
trol. 

That  the  present  '"tax  ledgers"  be  superseded  by  the  installation  of  a  card 
system  and  that  the  necessity  be  thereby  avoided  for  writing  up  these 
records  every  three  years. 

That,  in  the  event  of  a  continuance  of  the  assessment  of  poll  tax,  the 
existing  expensive  methods  be  revised  and  a  card  index  system  adopted. 

BONDED  DEBT  AND  SINKING  FUNDS. 

That  all  bonds  issued  in  future  be  in  serial  form,  payable  in  equal  annual 
installments  to  be  provided  for  in  the  tax  levy  budget. 

That  greater  care  be  taken  in  fixing  the  term  of  bond  issues. 

That  bonds  be  not  issued  until  cash  is  actually  needed  for  construction 
purposes. 

That  bonds  issued  in  future  be  of  lower  deiominations  than  heretofore, 
so  as  to  encourage   citizen  investors. 

That  the  necessity  for  the  refunding  of  bonds  be  eliminated  by  the  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  proper  and  adequate   sinking  funds. 

That  sinking  funds  be  properly  invested  at  the  highest  rate  of  interest 
consistent  with  sound  finance. 

CONTROL  OF  MISCELLANEOUS  RECEIPTS. 

That  uniform-  "financial  stationery"  be  used  for  all  permits,  licenses,  etc., 
in  order  that  proper  control  over  such  revenues  may  be  obtained. 

That  proper  reports  of  licenses  and  permits  issued  be  prepared  whenever 
permit  or  license  fees  are  paid  over  to  the  City  Treasurer. 

That  standard  forms  of  application  blanks  be  designed  to  facilitate  the 
granting  of  licenses   and  permits. 

That  a  license  inspector  be  appointed  to  enforce  in  the  field  the  regula- 
tions governing  permits  and  licenses. 

That  the  issuance  of  licenses  and  permits  be  centralized  as  far  as  practi- 
cable. 

That  the  necessary  records  be  installed  to  remedy  the  non-registration 
of  licenses  prevalent  in  the  past. 

BUDGET. 

That,  as  a  basis  for  scientific  management  and  an  adequate  system  of 
financial  control,  a  form  of  segregated,  functionalized  budget  be  adopted. 

That  budget  estimates  be  prepared  on  standard  forms  which  provide  for 
the  showing  in  detail  of  all  information  necessary,  as  a  basis  for  judgment, 
in  determining  the  amounts  which  should  be  appropriated  for  each  function 
or  activity. 

That  such  estimates  be  submitted  in  ample  time  to  allow  for  proper 
investigation. 

That  all  funds  be  asked  for  and  appropriated  under  standard  and  well- 
defined  budget  classifications,  uniform  and  all  departments. 


278    DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY. 

That  the  appropriation  accounts  be  adequately  codified. 

That  the  tentative  budget  be  published  in  detail  and  public  hearings  held 
before  the  budget  is  finally  passed  as  an  ordinance. 

That  the  budget  be  passed  as  a  single  ordinance  instead  of  in  a  dozen 
or  more  ordinances  as  hitherto. 

That  the  final  budget  be  printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  given  as  wide 
publicity  as  possible. 

COLLECTION,   CUSTODY  AND  DISBURSEMENT   OF   PUBLIC 
FUNDS. 

That  the  present  practice  of  depositing  with  bankers  only  a  part  of  each 
day's  collections  be  stopped  and  that  all  collections  be  deposited  in  the  bank 
day  by  day. 

That  an  imprest  fund  of  $5,000  be  established  in  order  that  the  treasurer 
may  have  a  fund  out  of  which  to  cash  city  warrants  for  payees  having  no 
bank  accounts. 

That  the  multiplicity  of  records  in  the  treasurer's  office  be  eliminated 
and  that  a  register  of  receipts  and  a  register  of  warrants,  together  with  a 
daily  cash  statement  and  a  bank  ledger,  be  substituted  therefor. 

That  collection  methods  be  modernized. 

That  taxes   and   water   rates   be   pre-billed. 

That  an  ordinance  be  passed  repealing  the  present  law  relating  to  the 
deposit  of  city  funds  and  establishing  a  new  procedure  based  on  competitive 
bidding. 

That  the  general  fund  of  the  city  and  the  general  fund  of  the  Water 
Department  be  carried  in  two  bank  accounts  only,  instead,  of  22  as  hereto- 
fore. 

That  the  fiscal  officer  of  the  city  endeavor  to  obtain  a  higher  rate  of 
interest  on  the  city's  funds. 

FINANCE,  ACCOUNTING  AND  AUDITING. 

That  proper  systems  of  accounting  and  reporting  be  adopted  in  order  to 
provide  a  fact  basis  on  which  the  government  of  the  city,  and  especially  its 
finances,  may  be  administered  according  to  the  best  business  methods. 

That  proper  accounting  records  be  arranged  and  centralized  in  the 
Bureau  of  Accounts. 

That  the  issuance  of  new  series  of  bonds,  so  greatly  needed  for  high- 
way construction  and  other  work,  be  used  to  provide  an  interest-paying  in- 
vestment for  sinking  funds. 

{That  the  bond  and  coupon  registers  be  kept  up-to-date  at  all  times. 

That  a  new  form  of  appropriation  ledger,  affording  all  essential  infor- 
mation, be  devised  and  installed. 

That  proper  statements  of  appropriation  balances  be  adopted. 

That  efficient  methods  of  registering  orders  be  adopted. 

That  standard  forms  of  invoices  be  adopted  and  used. 

That  accounts   payable  be  properly  registered. 

That  the  system  of  warranting  vouchers  be  revised  and  an  up-to-date 
form  of  warrant  installed. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY.  279 


That  a  proper  general  ledger  be  designed  and  that  present  records  be 
analyzed  and  completed  so  that  the  necessary  entries  may  be  made  on  the 
new  general  ledger. 

That  the  special  fund  ledger,  the  claim  register  and  records  of  improve- 
ments and  assessments  against  property  owners,  be  revised  as  necessary 
and  made  part  of  the  proposed  accounting  system  of  the  city. 


PURCHASE,  STORAGE  AND  TESTING   OF   SUPPLIES  AND  . 
MATERIALS. 

That  the  antiquated  methods  of  purchasing,  which  are  neither  economi- 
cal, businesslike,  or  conducive  to  proper  competition,  be  revised. 

That  the  purchasing  of  all  supplies  required  by  every  city  department, 
bureau,  board,  or  office  be  centralized  and  placed  in  charge  of  a  properly 
qualified  purchasing  agent. 

That  proper  requisitions  on  the  purchasing  agent,  duly  certified  as  to 
the  necessity  for  purchase,  be  adopted. 

That  all  supplies  and  materials  required  by  city  departments  be  purchased, 
as  far  as  practicable,  under  annual  contracts  containing  proper  provisions 
permitting  installment  deliveries. 

That  the  exceeding  of  appropriations  be  controlled  by  the  purchasing 
agent  obtaining  a  certificate  from  the  accountant  that  sufficient  unencum- 
bered funds  are  available  in  appropriate  amounts  before  any  liability  is  in- 
curred. 

That  quotations  be  sought  and  bids  obtained  before  purchases  are  made. 

That  the  bulletin  board  method   of  publicity  be   adopted. 

'I  hat  the  buying  of  stationery,  supplies,  blank  books,  printed  forms,  etc., 
without  proper  competition  be  eliminated  by  standardization  and  competitive 
bidding. 

That   standard   purchasing  forms  be   devised   and   installed. 

That  card  index  files  relating  to  purchases  and  a  catalogue  library  be 
established. 

TIME  AND  SERVICE  RECORDS. 

That  immediate  attention  be  given  to  payroll  methods  in  order  that 
better   financial    control    may   be    obtained. 

That  a  standard  form  of  payroll  be  devised  and  adopted  for  use  in  all 
departments. 

That  mechanical  devices  be  utilized  to  facilitate  the  preparation  of  pay- 
rolls. 

That  payrolls  be  properly  certified. 

That  a  summary  of  time  reports  be  prepared  and  transmitted  semi- 
monthly to  the  person  in  charge  of  payrolls,  and  that  such  summaries  be 
properly  certified. 

That  the  system  of  paying  city  employees  be  improved  and  unnecessary 
vork    eliminated. 

That  all  employees  be  paid  semi-monthly  and  within  two  or  three  days 
of  the  end  of  each  half- month. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

That  the  excessive  and  unnecessary  cost  of  advertising  receive  careful 
attention. 

That  a  reassignment  of  offices  be  effected  and  that  proper  working 
facilities  be  provided  by  the  purchase  of  up-to-date  equipment. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  NOT  YET 
COMPLETELY  CARRIED  OUT 

ORGANIZATION  AND   PERSONNEL. 

That  at  such  times  as  the  triennial  assessments  are  being  made  one  or 
more  deputy  assessors  be  appointed  t<>  assist  the   City  Assessor,  if  necessary. 

That,  as  soon  as  proper  tax  maps  arc  prepared,  the  City  Assessor  be 
able  to  obtain  the  temporary  services  of  a  draftsman,  whenever  required, 
in  order  that  the  tax  maps  may  be  kept  up-to-date. 

That   the   appointment   of  delinquent   tax   collectors   be   stopped. 

That  a  properly  qualified  storekeeper  with  such  laborers  as  may  be 
necessary,  be  appointed   to  operate   efficiently  the  storehouses. 

That  a  standard  testing  laboratory  be  established  and  placed  under  the 
control  of  a  chemist  and  the  necessary  assistants,  to  perform  all  chemical, 
bacteriological  and  physical  examinations  now  performed  at  three  or  more 
different  locations. 

ASSESSMENT  OF  TAXES. 

That  scientific  methods  of  assessment  be  established  in  determining 
property   valuations. 

That  the  methods  of  assessment  be  revised,  as  such  procedure  would 
materially  add  to  both  the  revenue  and  borrowing  capacity  of  the  city  and 
result  in  a  more  equitable  distribution  of  city  taxes. 

That  property  be  assessed   at  its   full  value. 

That  separate  valuations  be  made  of  land  and  of  improvements. 

That  the   City  Assessor  possess  proper  qualifications. 

That  assessors  be  required  to  pass  a  competitive  civil  service  examina- 
tion before  appointment. 

That  assessors  be  required  to  give  full  time  to  their  work  and  be  not 
allowed  to  engage  in  any  other  business  or  occupation. 

That  assessors  be  subject  to  removal  for  cause  after  charges  properly 
preferred  against  them  in  writing. 

That  assessors  work  independently. 

That  the  city  be  divided  into  assessment  districts  and  an  assessor  as- 
signed to  each  district. 

That  the  provision  of  the  law  relating  to  the  appointment  of  City  As- 
sessor for  one  year  only  be  changed,  for  the  reason  that  the  holder  of  this 
office,  more  than  almost  any  other  officeholder  in  the  city,  needs  time  to 
become  familiar  with  his  duties  (constant  change  in  personnel  would  render 
a  permanent  policy  in  regard  to  the  system  of  assessments  very  difficult  to 
maintain). 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY.   281 


That  the  senior  clerk  in  the  Bureau  of  Tax  Assessments  devote  his 
entire  time  to  matters  relating  to  assessment  of  taxes  and  be  not  required 
to  render  service  to  the  Building  Inspector. 

That  the  appointment  of  "book-carriers"  be  eliminated  in  future. 

That  the  appointment  of  four  extra  men  to  write  up  by  hand  the  records 
of  each  triennial  assessment  be  stopped  hereafter. 

That  tax  assessment  records  be  prepared  in  future  by  mechanical  means. 

That  carbon  copies  of  tax  assessment  records  be  made  for  use  of  asses- 
sors in  the  field. 

That  the  present  system  of  tax  records,  which  involves  much  unnecessary 
work,  be  completely  revised. 

That  a  card  system  of  assessment  records  be  adopted. 

That  the  advisability  of  assessing  poll  tax  hereafter  be  carefully  con- 
sidered. 

That  a  law  be  passed  requiring  the  true  consideration  to  be  shown  in 
all  deeds   transferring  property. 

That  the  recent  tendency  to  eliminate  the  taking  of  an  oath  when  testify- 
ing property  valuations  be  restrained. 

That  proper  block  and  lot  maps  and  land-value  maps  of  the  entire  city 
be  prepared  by  a  competent  draftsman. 

That  the  block  and  lot  system  of  describing  property  be  adopted  through- 
out the  city. 

That  the  right  of  the  School  Board  to  demand  anything  but  an  exact 
copy  of  the  assessment  list  as  prepared  b}^  the  city  for  its  own  use,  be  tested. 

CONTROL  OF  MISCELLANEOUS  RECEIPTS. 

That  control  over  the  license  inspector's  work  be  obtained  through 
co-operation  with  the  Bureau  of  Police. 

BUDGET. 

That  the  original  budget  estimates  be  published  in  detail. 

That  a  period  of  at  least  one  week  be  allowed  between  the  publication 
of  the  tentative  budget  and  the  public  hearings. 

That  an  ordinance  be  passed  fixing  a  date  on  or  before  which  all  budget 
estimates  must  be  received  by  the  Superintendent  of  Accounts  and  Finance. 

That  such  restrictions  as  will  insure  the  use  of  appropriations  only  for 
the  functions  or  purposes  for  which  they  were  requested  and  which  will 
provide  for  proper  supervision  over  appropriations  and  transfers  between 
appropriations  be  made  part  of  the  budget  ordinance. 

That  a  budget  exhibit  be  conducted  in  order  that  citizens  may  have 
submitted  to  them  graphically  the  work  which  is  being  accomplished  by*  the 
municipal  government. 

COLLECTION,  CUSTODY  AND   DISBURSEMENT  OF  PUBLIC 
FUNDS. 

That  the  compensation  of  the  City  Treasurer  be  limited  to  $2,500  a  year, 
which  is  ample  compensation   for  the  services  rendered. 

That  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the   cash  balances  in  banks   and   on   hand 


382   DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY. 

are  seldom  less  than  one-half  a  million  dollars,  the  fidelity  bond  of  the  City 
Treasurer  be  increased. 

That  the  payment  of  fees  or  commissions  in  connection  with  the  col- 
lection of  taxes  and  miscellaneous  revenues  be   abolished. 

That  all  taxes  and  other  revenues  be  collected  by  the  treasurer  or  his 
permanent  staff,  all  of  whom  should  be  paid  fixed  annual  salaries  only. 

That  prompt  measures  be  adopted  to  reduce  the  abnormal  amount  of 
taxes  now  allowed  to  become  delinquent. 

That  the  collection  of  state,  county,  school  and  municipal  taxes  be  vested 
in  one  central  body  as  soon  as  the  necessary  legislation  can  be  passed. 

That  Council  pass  an  ordinance  consolidating  the  collection  of  city  and 
poll  taxes  and  water  rates. 

That  the  City  Treasurer's  imprest  fund  be  audited  by  the  Superin- 
tendent of  Accounts  and  Finance  or  his  representative  at  irregular  intervals, 
but  with  sufficient  frequency. 

That  the  preparation  of  delinquent  tax-books  be  eliminated  by  binding 
the  counterfoil  of  tax  bills  unpaid  at  date  when  delinquent  taxes  are  collecta- 
ble. 

That,  for  the  better  protection  of  the  city,  banks  designated  as  city 
depositories  be  required  to  deposit  with  the  city,  as  collateral,  securities  at 
least  equal  in  value  to  the  amount  of  the  city's  funds  entrusted  to  their  care. 

FINANCE,  ACCOUNTING  AND  AUDITING. 

That  the  tendency  in  some  bureaus,  especially  in  the  Bureau  of  High- 
ways and  Sewers,  to  maintain  duplicate  accounting  records  be  checked. 

That  methods  of  financing,  which  will  render  possible  a  constructive 
program  with  regard  to  improvements,  be  adopted. 

That  the  proper  maintenance  of  properties  already  held  by  the  city  be 
a  first  charge  on  its  revenues  and  that  no  revenues  be  used  for  new  construc- 
tion work  until  ample  provision  is  made  for  the  maintenance  of  present 
propei  ties. 

That  a  well  defined  plan  for  financing  public  improvements  be  prepared. 

That  a  bond  budget  be  prepared  and  published  which  would  enable  the 
comparative  importance  of  the  city's  needs  to  be  more  clearly  appreciated. 

That  interest  and  sinking  fund  charges  on  water  bonds  be  made  a  first 
charge  against  water  revenues,  with  the  city  revenues  merely  pledged  as 
collateral  in  the  event  of  water  revenues  not  being  sufficient  to  meet  these 
bond  obligations. 

That  the  tax  rate  as  established  by  ordinance  disclose  clearly  the  true  state 
of  affairs  with  regard  to  the  tax  levy. 

That  a  suitable  system  of  cost  records  be  established  with  a  view  to- 
securing  information  essential  to  efficient  control  over  every  activity, 

PURCHASE,    STORAGE    AND    TESTING    OF    SUPPLIES   AND 
MATERIALS 

That   the   need    for   purchasing   supplies   be   definitely   ascertained    and    an 
analysis  of  purchases  made   as   a  basis   for  estimating  future   requirements. 
That   the   preparation    of   standard    specifications   be    extended. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE— SUMMARY.   2-S3 

That  fuel  be  purchased  on  the  British  thermal  unit  basis. 

That  a  central  storehouse  be  established. 

That  more  attention  be  paid  to  the  inspection  of  supplies  and  materials 
delivered. 

That  proper  records  covering  the  receipt  and  consumption  of  supplies 
and  materials  be   devised   and   installed. 

TIME  AND  SERVICE  RECORDS 

That  proper  time  reports  standarized  for  all  city  departments  be  main- 
tained. 

SALARY  STANDARDIZATION 

That  salaries  be  standarized  throughout  all  departments  so  that  each 
employee  in  the  city's  service  is  paid  according  to  service  rendered. 

That  salaries  be  adjusted  only  once  each  year,  viz.,  at  budget-making 
time. 

That  discrimination  in  the  payment  of  laborers  be  eliminated  by  paying 
a  standard  rate  to  all  such  employees. 

CIVIL  SERVICE 

That  all  city  employees  be  made  subject  to  civil  service  rules  and  regula- 
tions. 

That  the  appointment  of  employees  for  more  than  one  year  be  stopped, 
and  that  the  inclusion  of  compensation  for  employees  in  the  annual  budget 
automatically  carry  them  over  from  one  fiscal  period  to  another,  subject 
to  good  behavior  and  efficient  work. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

That  annual  reports  for  all  departments  be  revised  and  standarized  and 
much  superfluous  matter  eliminated. 

That  a  bureau  of  information  and  complaints  be  established. 


2S4  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


DEPARTMENT  OF 
ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


CRITICISMS   AND   CONSTRUCTIVE   SUGGESTIONS 
ON  ORGANIZATION,  PERSONNEL,  AND  PROCEDURE 


ORGANIZATION  AND  PERSONNEL 

ACCOUNTING   AND    FINANCIAL    FUNCTIONS    SHOULD    BE 
REORGANIZED 

The  revenues  and  expenditures  of  the  city  are  improperly  controlled. 
The  accounting  control  of  revenues  is  practically  nonexistent.  Such  control 
as  does  exist  is  divided  between  the  city  treasurer,  who  incidentally  is  the 
collector  of  taxes  and  therefor  not  a  proper  officer  to  control  revenues  for 
taxation,  the  water  clerk,  who  is  responsible  for  the  water  rate  books,  and 
at  least  one  clerk  in  almost  every  other  bureau  who  collects  and  controls 
the  miscellaneous  revenues  of  his  bureau. 

A  large  part  of  the  accounting  work  connected  with  the  purchasing  of 
supplies,  the  checking  of  invoices,  and  the  drawing  of  warrants  has  been 
done  in  the  city  clerk's  office. 

In  many  cases  the  jurisdiction  and  responsibility  of  bureau  heads  is  not 
clearly  defined.  There  are  several  cases  where  employees  connected  with 
accounting  of  financial  functions  are  performing  work  entirely  foreign  to 
such  functions  and  vice  versa. 

Under  such  conditions,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  the  accounts  and 
finances  of  the  city  have  become  considerably  tangled.  Most  of  the  trouble 
is  directly  due  to  lack  of  proper  organization. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  future  welfare  of  the  community  and 
the  efficiency  of  its  government  that  a  complete  reorganization  of  the  city's 
finances  and  accounts  be  undertaken  immediately  by  the  new  administration. 
This  reorganization,  if  carried  to  a  successful  conclusion,  will  enable  every 
department  and  bureau  head  and  every  taxpayer  without  effort  to  inform 
himself  as  to  the  exact  facts  relating  to  city  business. 

SUGGESTED   ORGANIZATION   AND    PERSONNEL   OF   DEPART- 
MENT OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

Under  the  new  form  of  government  all  matters  relating  to  finance  and 
accounting  are  placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  superintendent  of  the 
department  of  accounts  and  finance.     This  department  should  be  divided  into 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 285 

six    divisions    or    bureaus    which    should    exercise    the    distinctive    functions 
enumerated  below: 

OFFICE  OF  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  ^  - 

Supervision  of  accounts  and  iinance 

BUREAU  OF  TAX  ASSESSMENTS 
Assessment  of  Taxes 

BUREAU   OF  REVENUE   CONTROL 

Revenue  accounting  control 

BUREAU  OF  THE  TREASURY 
Collection,  custody  and  disbursement  of  public  funds 

BUREAU  OF  SUPPLIES 
Purchase,  storing  and  testing  of  supplies 

BUREAU  OF  ACCOUNTS 
Central  accounting 


The  superintendent  should  be  provided  with  a  competent  stenographer 
who  would  perform  also  such  other  clerical  duties  as  might  be  required 
in  his  office.. 

The  bureau  of  tax  assessments  should  be  under  the  city  assessor  who 
should  be  provided  with  a  clerk  competent  to  keep  all  necessary  tax  records. 
At  such  times  as  the  triennial  assessments  are  being  prepared  it  will  be 
necessary  to  appoint  one  or  more  deputy  assessors  to  assist  the  city  assessor- 
In  case  it  is  decided  to  prepare  proper  tax  maps,  as  is  discussed  in  detail 
elsewhere  in  this  report,  it  will  be  necessary  to  appoint  a  draftsman  for  at 
least  a  year  for  this  purpose,  and  thereafter  the  city  assessor  should  be  able 
to  obtain  the  temporary  services  of  a  draftsman  from  time  to  time  as  may 
be  necessary  in  order  that  the  tax  maps  may  be  kept  up  to  date.   "* 

The  bureau  of  revenue  control  should  be  in  charge  of  an  auditor  of 
receipts.  This  bureau  should  be  divided  into  two  main  divisions;  one  of 
which  should  exercise  control  over  the  water  revenues,  and  the  other, 
accounting  control  over  taxes  and  miscellaneous  revenues.  Each  division 
should  be  in  charge  of  a  high  grade  clerk.  It  is  also  essential  that  a  junior 
clerk  should  be  appointed  to  assist  in  the  detail  work.  If  a  properly  qualified 
clerk  should  be  appointed  to  this  position  he  could  do  the  billing  of  taxes 
and  water  charges,  and  the  need  for  the  appointment  of  temporary  billing 
clerks  during  the  rush  periods  would  be  avoided.  This  bureau  should  also 
be  provided  with  an  inspection  force  for  work  in  the  field,  especially  for 
water  revenue  work.  These  inspectors  should  be  under  the  supervision  of 
a   chief  inspector   reporting   directly   to   the   auditor   of   receipts. 


286  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


The  bureau  of  the  treasury  should  be  under  the  city  treasurer.  To  him 
should  report  the  cashier,  entry  clerk  and  bill  clerk.  The  latter  could  also  act 
as  stenographer,  except  during  the  tax  collecting  periods  when  it  would  be 
necessary,  for  the  convenience  of  the  public,  to  appoint  another  bill  clerk 
temporarily,  and  possibly  still  another  clerk  to  check  the  coupons  with  the 
register  of  receipts  and  to  attend  to'  mail  remittances  during  the  rush  season. 
It  is  suggested  that  if  this  force  should  be  maintained  the  year  round  it  could 
perform  also  all  the  duties  of  the  delinquent  tax  collectors  now  appointed 
annually  for  each  ward.  The  advantage  of  having  men  trained  for  such 
work  as  permanent  employees  is  apparent.  Such  appointments  would  be 
economical,  as  the  collection  of  delinquent  taxes  is  performed  at  a  time  when 
there  is  little  work  to  be  done  in  the  treasurer's  office.  These  men  could 
also  be  used  in  the  bureau  of  revenue  control  during  the  period  when  taxes 
and  water  charges  are  being  prebilled  (which  is  also  a  slack  period  in  the 
bureau  of  the  treasury)  to  do  all  the  checking  work  now  done  by  temporary 
help.  In  a  short  time  these  men  should  become  efficient  in  such  work,  and 
the  difficulties  resulting  from  the  temporary  employment  of  inexperienced 
men  would  be  overcome.  Such  appointment  would  also  effect  a  con- 
siderable money  saving  as  compared  with  the  present  costly  method  of 
employing  inefficient  temporary  help  during  the  rush  periods.  This  matter 
should  receive  the  immediate  attention  of  council. 

The  bureau  of  supplies  should  be  under  a  competent  purchasing  agent. 
This  bureau  should  be  divided  into  three  main  divisions,  namely:  (i)  pur- 
chasing, (2)  stores,  and  (3)  testing  laboratory.  The  purchasing  agent,  with 
the  help  of  the  secretary  to  the  superintendent  acting  as  his  stenographer, 
should  be  able  to  handle  easily  all  matters  connected  with  the  purchasing 
division.  The  stores  division  should  be  under  the  control  of  a  storekeeper 
with  such  laborers  as  may  be  necessary  to  operate  efficiently  the  storehouses. 
The  testing  laboratory  should  be  under  the  control  of  a  chemist  who  should 
have  at  least  one  assistant. 

The  bureau  of  accounts  should  be  under  an  accountant  whose  duties 
should  include  those  of  an  auditor  of  expenditures.  It  may  be  necessary  in 
the  course  of  time  to  provide  a  clerk  to  work  exclusively  in  this  bureau;  but 
for  the  time  being  it  is  considered  that  a  clerk  devoting  part  of  his  time  to 
the  bureau  of  accounts  and  part  to  the  bureau  of  supplies  will  be  all  that 
is  necessary. 

CITY    CONTROLLER'S    POWERS    IMPORTANT    IF    PROPERLY 
EXERCISED 

The  city  controller,  under  the  commission  form  of  government,  is  an 
independent  auditor  elected  by  the  people.  He  has  been  shorn  of  nearly  all 
the  powers  he  previously  possessed,  and  most  of  his  duties  have  been 
delegated  to  the  superintendent  of  accounts  and  finance.  However,  he  still 
has  the  right  to  audit  all  accounts,  although  his  signature  is  not  necessary 
to  enable  a  warrant  to  be  drawn  and  payment  made.  This  right  to  review 
all  financial  transactions  would  be  important  were  the  incumbent  of  the  office 
qualified  to  exercise  the  powers  conferred  upon  him.  The  intent  of  the  law 
is  good,  but  it  can  easily  be  negatived  by  the  election  of  an  incompetent 
person. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 2S7 

ASSESSMENT  OF  TAXES 

NO  SCIENTIFIC  BASIS  FOR  THE  ASSESSMENT  OF  PROPERTY 

Over  30  per  cent,  of  the  general  revenues  of  the  city  are  derived  from 
the  taxation  of  real  estate  and  personal  property.  The  assessment  of  taxes, 
therefore,  is  worthy  of  more  attention  than  it  has  received.  No  mathematical 
basis  is  used  in  determining  valuations.  The  assessment  of  property  is 
largely  a  matter  of  guess-work  in  which  the  judgment  of  an  individual 
assessor  plays  an  essential  part.  Everything  which  tends  towards  uniformity 
and  accuracy  of  method  in  assessing  real  estate  makes  more  probable  the 
equalization  of  assessments  as  betewen  the  various  properties  assessed. 
Equality  and  fairness  of  assessments  are  the  essentials  in  any  system  of 
taxation;  otherwise  a  ten  mill  tax  rate  may  mean  a  tax  rate  of  11  mills  or 
more  to  one  taxpayer  and  nine  mills  or  less  to  another.  Lack  of  system 
in  assessing  taxes  is  not  conducive  to  equitable  assessments. 

In  Reading,  the  same  property  frequently  is  assessed  for  State  and  county 
purposes  at  one  valuation  and  at  another  for  school  and  general  city  purposes. 
There  is  no  necessity  for  this  duplication  of  work  by  two  independent  groups 
of  assessors.  If  all  property  were  assessed  by  one  assessing  body  such  condi- 
tions could  not  exist,  and  a  considerable  saving  would  be  effected  by  the 
elimination  of  one  Board  of  Assessors. 

The  revision  of  assessment  methods  would  add  materially  to  both  the 
revenue  and  borrowing  capacity  of  the  city  and  result  in  a  more  equitable 
distribution  of  the  tax  burden.  A  scientific  method  of  assessment  is,  there- 
fore, extremely  desirable. 

FULL  VALUE  ASSESSMENTS  WOULD  REDUCE  DISCRIMINATION. 

The  assessment  of  real  estate  and  personal  property  at  its  full  value  would 
tend  to  reduce  the  possibility  of  discrimination  which  always  exists  when 
partial  value  assessments  are  made.  Separate  valuation  of  land  and  of 
improvement  would  be  likewise  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  Discrimination 
in  favor  of  owners  of  vacant  land  should  not  be  allowed. 

All  property  should  be  assessed  at  full  market  value,  but  no  attempt 
has  been  made  to  do  this.  The  assessors  state  that  they  aim  as  far  as 
possible  to  assess  all  property  at  75  per  cent,  of  the  full  value. 

There  seems  to  be  a  more  or  less  widespread  feeling  that  property  in 
the  business  districts  is  under-assessed,  while  in  the  residential  districts  it 
is  either  more  nearly  correct  or  even  over-assessed. 

CITY  ASSESSORS  SHOULD  POSSESS  PROPER  QUALIFICATIONS. 

Under  the  new  form  of  commission  government,  the  Council,  as  a  whole, 
■constitutes  the  Board  of  Revision  of  Taxes  and  Appeals,  and  after  January  1, 
1916,  this  Board  will  appoint  the  tax  assessors.  Until  that  time  the  assessors 
last  elected  continue  to  hold  office.  On  January  1,  1915,  one  assessor's  term 
will  expire;  the  two  remaining  will  hold  over  until  December  31,  1915.  One 
of  these  assessors,  a  machinist  by  trade,  had  no  knowledge  of  real  estate 
matters  prior  to  his  election,  except  such  as  he  had  obtained  through  small 
purchases  of  property  on  his  own  account.     The  other  assessor  is  somewhat 


288 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

better  qualified  by  reason  of  some  years'  experience  as  county  assessor  before 
election  to  the  office  he  now  holds  under  the  city  government.  No  special 
qualifications  are  required  of  assessors  other  than  that  they  must  have  been 
residents  for  five  years  previous  to  election  and  own  real  estate,  to  the  value 
of  at  least  $500. 

Assessors  should  be  required  to  pass  a  competitive  civil  service  examina- 
tion in  which  the  questions  should  be  designed  to  obtain  men  having  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  local  real  estate  and  a  fair  amount  of  judgment  in 
determining  property  valuations.  They  should  be  required  to  give  full  time 
to  their  work,  and  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  engage  in  any  other 
business  or  profession.  Such  assessors  should  be  subject  to  removal  for 
cause  after  charges  have  been  preferred  in  writing  and  an  opportunity  given 
to  each  assessor  to  defend  himself. 

TAX   REVISION  BY  COUNCIL  MORE  ECONOMICAL  THAN 
EFFICIENT. 

Although  the  power  of  revising  the  assessment  of  taxes  and  the  hearing 
of  appeals  is  vested  in  Council  as  a  whole,  it  would  seem  that  this  arrange- 
ment is  more  economical  than  efficient.  The  function  of  such  a  Board  calls 
for  a  thorough  knowledge  of  real  estate  values,  which  a  member  of  Council 
is  not  likely  to  have  acquired. 

ASSESSORS  SHOULD  WORK  INDEPENDENTLY. 

The  present  system  under  which  all  assessors  work  together  as  a  unit 
is  open  to  great  question.  It  should  not  be  necessary  for  three  assessors 
to  work  on  one  piece  of  property.  The  assessments  could  be  made  in  much 
less  time  if  the  city  were  divided  into  districts  and  an  assessor  assigned  to 
each  district.  As  it  is  impossible  for  anyone  to  become  thoroughly  familiar 
with  values  in  more  than  a  comparatively  small  area,  assessors  should  serve 
continuously  in  the  same  district  as  far  as  possible  so  as  to  become  better 
acquainted  with  local  conditions  and  property  valuations.  In  order  to  avoid 
collusion,  arrangements  should  be  made  for  testing  the  assessments  made  by 
an  assessor  from  time  to  time,  either  through  independent  outside  sources  or 
by  temporarily  interchanging  assessors  between  districts. 

PERSONNEL  MATTERS  IN  TAX  BUREAU  NEED  FURTHER 
CONSIDERATION. 

The  Clark  bill  provides  that  Council  shall  elect  one  person  as  City 
Assessor,  to  serve  from  the  day  of  his  election  until  the  first  Monday  of 
January  in  the  succeeding  year.  This  provision  of  the  law  should  be 
changed  for  the  reason  that  the  holder  of  this  office,  more  than  almost 
any  other  office  holder  in  the  city,  needs  time  to  become  familiar  with  his 
duties.  A  permanent  policy  in  regard  to  the  system  of  assessments  must 
be  outlined  and  adhered  to  if  any  really  constructive  work  is  to  be  per- 
formed. Constant  change  in  personnel  would  make  such  a  policy  difficult 
to  maintain.  Of  course,  the  argument  may  be  advanced  that,  providing 
an  assessor  renders  good  service,  he  may  be  re-elected  for  another  year. 
Council,    however,   is    elected    for   two   years    onlv,    and    it   is    almost    certain 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 289 

that  with  a  change  in  administration  would  come  a  change  in  the  City 
Assessor. 

In  addition  to  the  two  assessors  before  mentioned,  there  are  two 
clerks  on  the  payroll  of  the  Bureau  of  Tax  Assessments.  The  senior  of 
these  two  is  Clerk  to  the  Tax  Assessors  and  also  to  the  Building  In- 
spector, while  the  other  acts  as  Transfer  Clerk  and  performs  general 
office  work.  The  former  should  not  be  required  to  render  services  to 
the  Building  Inspector,  but  should  devote  his  entire  time  to  matters  relat- 
ing to  the  assessment  of  taxes.  The  latter  should  be  transferred  to  the 
Bureau  of  Revenue  Control,  where  his  services  can  be  used  to  much 
better  advantage  in  connection  with  the  financial  control  of  taxes.  If  the 
Building  Inspector  cannot  do  his  own  clerical  work  such  work  should  be 
performed  by  the  Clerk  to  the  Superintendent  of  Safety. 

During  the  year  of  triennial  assessment  a  "book  carrier"  is  added  to 
the  force.  The  appointment  of  such  a  person  is  hardly  necessary  even 
under  present  conditions,  and  the  position  should  be  eliminated  in  the 
future. 

Four  extra  men  are  engaged  to  write  up,  by  hand,  the  records  of  each 
triennial  assessment.  Such  records  could  be  prepared  on  a  typewriter  in 
a  quarter  of  the  time  and  at  a  tenth  of  the  cost.  A  carbon  copy  for  the 
use  of  the  assessors  in  the  field  could  be  made  at  the  same  operation  if 
mechanical   means   were   adopted. 

TAX    RECORDS   INVOLVE   UNNECESSARY   WORK. 

The  methods  employed  in  the  keeping  of  tax  records  seem  to  have 
been  adopted  with  a  view  to  controlling  as  much  political  patronage  as 
possible.  Instead  of  being  in  card  index  form  so  that  they  could  be  used 
from  year  to  year,  most  of  the  records  have  been  written  up  every  three 
years    in   loose-leaf   ledgers. 

The  tax  valuation  books,  although  not  of  the  most  efficient  type,  are 
passably  good. 

The  present  "tax  ledgers,"  as  they  are  called,  consist  of  16  volumes 
(one  for  each  ward),  each  containing  an  alphabetical  list  of  all  owners  of 
real  estate  within  a  ward,  together  with  full  particulars  of  the  property  of 
each.  Owing  to  the  constant  transfer  of  properties,  these  books  become 
considerably  altered  in  the  course  of  the  three  years  in  which  they  are 
in  use.  As  there  is  a  separate  volume,  it  becomes  necessary  to  record 
the  name  of  a  taxpayer  owning  property  in  more  than  one  ward  of  the 
city  in  as  many  volumes  as  there  are  wards  in  which  he  holds  property — 
a  possible  maximum  of  16  volumes. 

The  installation  of  a  card  system,  which  would  make  it  possible  to 
list  on  one  card  all  the  property  owned  by.  any  individual,  would  greatly 
facilitate  reference  and  the  compilation  of  tax  schedules  as  well  as  the 
collection  of  taxes.  It  would  also  entirely  obviate  the  necessity  'for  writing 
up  the  16  volumes  every  three  years,  because  after  the  cards  were  once 
installed,  if  kept  up  to  date  as  transfers  are  made,  they  would  never 
have  to  be  rewritten  except  when  transfers  are  so  numerous  as  to  fill 
up  the   cards. 


290 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE     

A  CARD  SYSTEM  OF  ASSESSMENT  RECORDS  RECOMMENDED. 

It  is  suggested  that  an  even  more  radical  change  be  made  in  the 
methods  of  compiling  and  maintaining  the  records  of  assessments  on  real 
estate  and  personal  property.  Such  data  could  be  much  more  efficiently 
recorded  by  means  of  a  card  index  system.  A  separate  five  by  eight  card 
would  be  kept  for  each  property,  the  face  of  the  card  being  ruled  to  record 
all  essential  information  while  the  reverse  could  be  used  for  a  plan  showing 
the  location  and  dimensions  of  the  property  assessed.  Such  a  system,  with 
the  cards  under  proper  control,  would  be  infinitely  more  convenient  both 
for  use  in  the  held  and  in  the  assessors'  office  than  the  present  loose-leaf 
books.  The  writing  up  of  the  tax  records  at  each  triennial  assessment 
period  would  be  entirely  eliminated.  A  card  system,  properly  devised  and 
installed,  would  never  have  to  be  entirely  rewritten.  In  cases  where  the 
property  changed  in  value  so  frequently  as  to  fill  up  the  cards,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  insert  continuation  cards  from  time  to  time.  The  cards  would 
show  also  the  fluctuation  in  the  assessment  over  a  period  of  years,  informa- 
tion which  the  present  records  do  not  disclose  without  reference  to  the 
assessment   books    of   the   various   triennial    periods. 

METHODS  OF  ASSESSING  POLL  TAX  TOO  ELABORATE  AND 
EXPENSIVE. 

The  present  methods  of  assessing  the  poll  tax  are  far  too  elaborate 
and  expensive.  Each  year  51  poll  tax  assessors  are  appointed,  one  for 
each  voting  precinct  of  the  city.  Their  duty  is  to  collect  the  names  and 
addresses  of  persons  subject  to  poll  tax,  for  which  services  they  are  paid 
at  the  rate  of  $2.50  for  every  60  names  reported.  In  addition  to  the 
above,  six  or  eight  men  have  been  employed  for  some  weeks  each  year 
in  arranging  and  transcribing  alphabetically  the  names  and  addresses  re- 
ported  by   the   poll   tax    assessors. 

The  51  assessors  are  required  to  send  in  a  list,  on  forms  specially 
provided  for  the  purpose,  containing  all  names  collected  each  day.  Under 
such  a  procedure  the  reports  turned  in  by  the  poll  tax  assessors  neces- 
sarily have  to  be  reclassified.  If  a  card  system  were  adopted  and  each 
name  and  address  entered  on  a  separate  three  by  five  card  duly  certified 
by  the  assessor,  all  the  work  of  reclassifying  and  transcribing  would  be 
obviated.  The  certification  of  these  cards  would  also  tend  to  reduce  the  number 
of  exonerations  for  the  reason  that  unless  the  taxes  were  properly  col- 
lectible from  the  persons  reported,  the  assessors  would  not  be  likely  to 
report  fictitious  names  when  they  have  to  certify  such  names  under  their 
official    oath. 

The  amount  of  the  poll  tax  assessments  is  approximately  $28,000  per 
annum,  but  of  this  amount  from  $8,000  to  $9,000  is  usually  exonerated, 
clue  to  non-collection  for  one  '  cause  or  another.  The  cost  of  compiling 
and  transcribing  the  poll  tax  assessment  list  has  been  about  $2,000  a  year, 
in  addition  to  which  there  is  the  commission  on  collections  paid  to  the; 
City  Treasurer,  part  of  the  salaries  of  the  City  Treasurer  and  his  clerks, 
the  commissions  paid  to  delinquent  tax  collectors,  the  cost  of  stationery, 
printing,  etc.,  to  be  charged.  The  tax  is  very  unpopular  for  the  reason 
that    a    similar    tax    is    also    collected    at    the    rate    of   $1.00   per    head    by    tin- 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 29* 

School  Board  and  a  further  tax  of  30  ce*nts  per  head  by  the  county  au- 
thorities. The  poll  tax  receipt  which  entitles  a  person  to  vote  is  that  paid 
to  the  county  authorities.  Taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  only 
a  few  thousand  dollars  are  collected  by  means  of  this  tax,  it  would  seem 
as  though  it  were  hardly  worth  the  trouble  of  assessment  and  collection. 
A  general  tax  levy  of  a  fifth  of  a  mill  more  would  produce  an  equal  amount 
and  save  many  thousands  of  dollars  which  are  now  expended  unnecessarily. 
Few  persons  other  than  real  estate  owners   are  now  paying  poll  tax. 

PROPERTY  TRANSFER  DEEDS  SHOULD  SHOW  TRUE 
CONSIDERATION  - 

Many  of  the  deeds  relating  to  the  transfer  of  property  now  record 
the  consideration  for  transfer  as  one  dollar,  or  some  other  nominal  amount 
which  is  far  below  the  value  of  the  property.  If  a  law  could  be  passed 
requiring  that  the  true  consideration  be  shown  in  all  deeds,  it  would 
greatly  assist  the  work  of  the  assessors  and  enable  them  to  make  much 
more    accurate    assessments. 

VALUATION    OF   PROPERTY   UNDER    OATH    SHOULD    BE 
CONTINUED. 

The  practice  of  requiring  owners  of  real  estate  and  personal  property 
to  testify  under  oath  as  to  the  value  of  their  property  is  in  accordance 
with  the  more  up-to-date  methods  in  vogue  in  the  larger  cities  and  should 
be  continued.  The  recent  tendency  to  eliminate  the  taking  of  an  oath 
when  testifying  as   to   property  valuations   should  be   restrained. 

PROPER  TAN   MAPS   SHOULD   BE   PREPARED. 

The  present  assessors  are  greatly  handicapped  owing  to  the  lack  of 
proper  tax  maps.  It  is  only  within  the  last  eighteen  months  that  they 
have  been  provided  with  a  copy  of  an  atlas  of  the  city.  Prior  to  that 
time  they  had  no  such  facilities.  The  atlas  in  question  was  necessarily 
incorrect  to  some  extent  even  when  originally  received  by  the  assessors, 
owing  to  the  unavoidable  lapse  of  time  between  the  making  of  the  survey 
and  the  printing  of  the  atlas.  Since  its  receipt,  no  attempt  has  been  made 
to  keep  the  maps  corrected  to  date.  As  accurate  maps  are  essential  to 
efficiency  in  assessment  work,  immediate  steps  should  be  taken  to  employ 
a  draftsman  to  prepare  first,  block  and  lot  maps,  and  secondly,  land  value 
maps  of  the   entire   city. 

BLOCK  AND  LOT  SYSTEM.  ADVOCATED. 

The  block  and  lot  system  of  describing  property  for  purposes  of  taxa- 
tion should  be  adopted  throughout  the  city.  This  system  would  facilitate 
the  identification  of  property,  reduce  the  chance  of  error  in  compiling 
tax  and  special  assessments,  and  save  much  time  and  labor.  The  tax 
assessment  books  are  now  kept  by  wards  and  blocks,  but  no  system  of 
lot  numbers  has  ever  been  attempted.  Each  ward  has  its  own  separate 
series    of   block    numbers,    commencing    at    number    1,    so    that    in    the    city 


292 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

BS3SB 

there  are  now  sixteen  blocks  bearing  the  same  block  number.  It  would 
probably  lead  to  less  confusion  if  every  block  were  given  a  separate  num- 
ber (or  a  combination  of  ward  and  block  number  that  would  indicate  both 
b}r  One  number),  of  which  there  was  no  duplicate  in  the  city. 

The  exact  boundaries  of  every  separately  assessed  parcel  of  real  estate 
in  the  city  should  be  shown  on  these  block  and  lot  maps.  In  addition  to 
the  blocks  being  numbered  as  indicated  above,  the  separate  lots  or  parcels 
of.,  land  within  each  block  should  also  be  numbered.  These  lot  numbers 
would  run  consecutively  from  one  up  to  as  many  lots  as  there  are  in  each 
block.  . 

When  these  maps  are  being  prepared  they  should  be  drawn  on  tracing 
paper  from  which  black  line  prints  could  be  made,  one  print  being  re- 
tained in  the  office  to  form  the  official  block  and  lot  record,  and  such 
additional  prints  as  might  be  necessary  being  furnished  for  use  in  the  field. 
Ii  has  been  found  convenient  to  have  these  maps  in  loose-leaf  form, 
bound  in  strong  canvas  binders,  each  ward  being  bound  in  separate  vol- 
ume. The  first  sheet  of  each  volume  should  be  a  key  map  to  all  the  block 
and   lot  maps  in  the  volume. 

These  maps  should  show  the  length  of  all  property  boundary  lines 
and  the  street  or  house  number,  if  any,  in  addition  to  the  lot  number.  On 
lots  of  irregular  shape  the  area  may  be  shown  in  square  feet,  while  on 
targe  parcels  it  may  be  shown  in  acres. 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  such  maps  facilitate  the  geographical  listing 
of.  real  estate  for  purposes  of  taxation  and  also  simplify  the  description 
of  real  estate  for  purposes  of  identification  in  tax  matters.  They  would 
be.  used  also  by  the  assessors  in  computing  the  value  of  lots  on  the  basis 
of.  unit  valuations  as  shown  by  the  land  value  maps.  The  tax  records 
should  be  arranged  consecutively  (i)  by  block  numbers  and  (2)  by  lot 
numbers  within  each  block  which  would  enable  any  lot  to  be  located 
rapidly  and  certainly  either  on  the  assessment  books  or  on  the  tax  maps. 

LAND  VALUE  MAPS  WOULD  FACILITATE  ASSESSMENT 
WORK. 

Land  value  maps  are  entirely  different  from  block  and  lot  maps.  They 
should  be  prepared  and  maintained  to  facilitate  the  comparison  of  land 
valuations  and  thus  to  assist  in  standardizing  and  equalizing  assessments 
of  land  for  purposes  of  taxation.  They  are  generally  regarded  as  the  most 
useful  aid  toward  equalizing  assessments  that  can  be  placed  in  the  hands 
of.  an  assessor.  There  is  no  need  to  dilate  on  the  subject  of  inequality 
in  assessments.  The  facts  are  too  well  known  in  Reading  to  need  even 
enumeration.  If  proper  land  value  maps  were  to  be  prepared  they  would 
remedy,  to  some  extent  at  least,  the  greatest  of  the  inequalities  now 
existing. 

THE  USE  OF  LAND  VALUE  MAPS  WOULD  BENEFIT  THE 
COMMUNITY. 

The  inimediate  benefit  to  be  derived  from  the  use  of  land  value  maps 
would  be  the  opportunity  for  intelligent  comparison  of  assessments.  This 
is   not    possible   under  present   conditions    and   even   if   all   assessments   were 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  293 


published,  which  they  are  not,  comparisons  would  be  still  unreliable.  .If 
land  value  maps  were  used,  any  property  owner  could  pass  upon  the  fairness 
with  which  the  assessor  had  performed  his  work  so  far  as  the  valuation 
of  land,  apart  from  buildings,  was  concerned.  These  maps  are  practically 
valueless,  however,  unless  the  assessment  is  split  up  into  its  component 
parts  and  the  value  of  land,  of  buildings,  and  of  improvements  shown 
separately.  The  present  assessors  are  in  favor  of  splitting  up  the  assess- 
ments. 

The  intelligent  comparison  of  assessments  which  would  be  made  pos- 
sible by  land  value  maps  would  inevitably  result  in  greater  uniformity 
and  in  the  equalization  of  assessments.  They  would  aid  the  Board  of 
Tax  Revision  in  considering  appeals  and  in  satisfying  complaints  as  to 
alleged  unfair  assessments.  They  would  prevent,  to  a  great  extent,  a.n 
assessor  favoring  any  particular  taxpayer  or  taxpayers;  and  they  would 
form  an  invaluable  check  on  the  work  of  the  assessor  generally.  If  all 
the  unit  values  determined  by  an  assessor  were  set  up  on  a  land  value 
map,  it  would  be  possible  for  him,  for  the  first  time,  to  study  intelligently 
and  comprehensively  the  relation  of  one  assessment  to  another.  In  other 
words,  a  bird's  eye  view  of  an  entire  assessment  district  would  be  ob- 
tained. If  a  particular  assessment  were  too  high  and  another  too  low, 
such  conditions  would  be  apparent.  Unit  values,  of  course,  may  change 
from  time  to  time,  and  land  value  maps  to  be  efficient  must  be  kept  con- 
stantly up  to  date. 

ATTITUDE   OF   SCHOOL   BOARD    ENTAILS  UNNECESSARY 
EXPENSE. 

Owing  to  statutory  requirements  the  city  is  compelled  to  furnish  the 
School  Board  with  a  list  of  all  assessments  of  real  and  personal  property 
and  of  polls.  Further  legislation  was  enacted  last  year  which  now  gives 
the  School  Board  the  right  to  specify  the  style  of  book  (even  to  the  form 
of  ruling  and  kind  of  binding)  in  which  such  assessments  are  to  be  fur- 
nished. The  School  Board  refuses  to  accept  an  exact  copy  of  the  tax 
ass-.s?ment  list  as  used  by  the  city.  The  lack  of  co-operation  unnecessarily 
doubles  the  work  connected  with  the  preparation  of  assessment  lists.  Steps 
should  be  taken  to  test  the  right  of  the  School  Board  to  demand  anything 
but  an  exact  copy  of  the  assessment  list  as  prepared  by  the  city  for  its 
own  use.  Such  a  copy  could  be  made  by  carbon  process  at  the  time  the 
c;1  f   prepares    its    own    tax    list. 

BONDED  DEBT  AND  SINKING  FUNDS 

INDEBTEDNESS  CONSIDERABLY  UNDER  DEBT  LIMIT. 

Under  the  Clark  bill,  the  debt  limit  of  cities  of  the  third  class  is  two 
per  cent,  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  real  estate  and  personal  property. 
The  assessed  valuation  o*  Reading  is  approximately  $56,800,000,  which 
would  permit  of  a  bonded  debt  of  $1,136,000,  excluding  bonds  issued  for 
water  and  school  purposes.  With  the  assent  of  the  electorate,  the  debt 
limit  may  be  increased  to  seven  per  cent,  of  the  total  assessed  valuation, 
which  would  permit  of  a  debt  of  approximately  $4,000,000. 


294  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


Of  the  $1,136,000  of  bonds  which  can  be  issued  by  Council  without 
the  consent  of  the  electorate,  $830,000  had  been  issued  and  was  outstanding 
on  December  1,  1913.  In  addition  thereto,  $156,000  has  been  authorized 
but  not  yet  issued,  for  the  construction  of  storm  water  sewers.  This  leaves 
a  balance  of  $150,000  which  can  be  issued  by  Council  without  the  vote  of 
the  people.  To  this  amount  may  be  added  approximately  $70,000,  repre- 
senting sinking  funds  established  to  redeem  the  $830,000  above  mentioned. 
This  would  limit  the'  borrowing  capacity  of  Council,  without  the  assent 
of  the  electorate,  to  $220,000.  It  would  be  ill  advised,  however,  for  Coun- 
cil to  issue  the  whole  of  these  bonds.  The  amount  which  should  be  issued 
for  the  improvement  of  streets  or  other  construction  purposed  during 
1914  should  not  exceed  $175,000,  leaving  a  margin  of  $45,000  to  meet  emer- 
gencies. 

Of  the  bonds  issued  by  the  authority  of  the  people,  $280,000  were  out- 
standing on  December  1,  1913.  Against  this  outstanding  bonded  indebted- 
ness there  was  in  sinking  funds,  established  to  redeem  such  bonds,  approx- 
imately $57,000,  making  a  net  outstanding  indebtedness  of  $223,000.  De- 
ducting this  from  the  five  per  cent,  of  the  assessed  valuation  which  can 
be  authorized  by  the  people  ($2,840,000 ">,  leaves  a  balance  of  $2,617,000 
available  for  construction  purposes  subject  to  the  consent  of  the  electorate. 

On  the  bonds  outstanding  as  above,  $424,000  was  for  paving  and  sewers; 
$450,000  was  to  redeem  an  unprovided  for  issue  of  six  per  cent,  "house, 
sewer  improvement  bonds,"  issued  July  1,  1912,  to  meet  shortcomings  of 
former  years,  and  the  balance  of  $236,000  represented  bonded  debt  which 
had  been  refunded  at  least  once,  owing  to  lack  of  proper  sinking  fund 
provisions.  The  latter  series  of  bonds  will  have  been  outstanding  for  ap- 
proximately 60  years  by  the   time  the  present  issues   mature. 

In  addition  to  the  bonds  included  in  the  general  funded  debt,  the 
city  is  also  responsible  for  the  water  bonds.  Of  the  total  bonds  outstand- 
ing on  December  1,  1913,  $500,000  represented  the  construction  of  niters. 
The  balance  of  $208,000  represents  bonds  which  have  been  outstanding 
practically  since  the  purchase  of  the  water  works  by  the  city.  These 
bonds  had  to  be  refunded  in  1889- 1890  owing  to  the  fact  that  proper  sink- 
ing funds  had  not  been  established  for  their  redemption.  It  is  only  recently 
that  steps  have  been  taken  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  these  bonds  at 
maturity.  This  has  been  accomplished  by  setting  aside  an  amount  each 
year  which  in  eight  years  will  provide  a  sufficient  fund  to  redeem  the 
bonds.  To  neglect  to  provide  for  the  bonds  until  after  they  had  been 
outstanding  approximately  40  years,  and  then  in  the  last  eight  years  of 
the  term  to  set  aside  amounts  which  should  have  been  spread  over  at 
least  30  years,  is  not  consistent  with  sound  finance  for  the  reason  that 
it'  imposes  too  great  a  burden  on  the  water  rate  payers  of  the  present  day. 

There  were  also  $44,000  "house  sewer  district"  bonds  outstanding  at 
December  1,  1913.  As  to  whether  these  should  be  taken  into  account 
when  arriving  at  the  debt  limit  is  a  matter  for  the  legal  advisor  of  the  city 
to  settle. 

The  city  had  no  temporary  loans  or  certificates  of  indebtedness  at 
the  time  of  making  this  survey.  Apparently  it  has  been  possible  to  finance 
the   city  without  temporarily  borrowing  to   meet   current   expenditures. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 295 

SERIAL  BONDS  SHOULD  BE  ISSUED  INSTEAD  OF  SINKING 
FUND   BONDS. 

The  bonds  issued  by  the  City  of  Reading  are  either  wholly  of  a  sinking 
fund  nature  or  partly  sinking  fund  and  partly  serial  in  form.  It  is  sug- 
gested that  the  practice,  established  by  Pittsburgh  in  recent  years,  of 
issuing  all  bonds  in  serial  form,  payable  in  equal  annual  installments  to 
be   provided   for   in   the    tax   levy   budget,   be    adopted. 

The  increasing  study  given  to  questions  of  public  finance  and  the 
experience  and  observation  of  those  charged  with  the  administration  of 
public  debts  have  forced  practical  comparison  of  the  efficiency  of  the 
sinking  fund  and  serial  methods  until  now  the  latter  is  generally  conceded 
to  be  the   sounder   and  more   economical   means    of   debt   payment. 

Throughout  the  country  the  sinking  fund  method  is  in  fact  being  super- 
seded by  the  serial  method.  The  marked  advantages  of  the  latter  lead 
to  its  adoption  by  more  States  and  cities  every  year.  The  time  seems  to 
have  arrived  when  the  serial  plan  should  be  accepted  as  the  generally 
approved  method   of  providing  for  the  payment  of  bonded   debt. 

The  Massachusetts  Legislature,  which  for  many  years  has  been  most 
progressive  in  matters  relating  to  bonded  indebtedness,  has  enacted  laws 
requiring  the  State  and  every  municipality  to  provide  for  the  payment  of 
-all   funded   debt  by   the   serial    method. 

The  serial  method  of  redeeming  bonds  not  only  obviates  the  adminis- 
trative requirements  of  the  sinking  fund  method,  but  it  has  been  demon- 
strated to  be  cheaper  than  the  latter,  and  it,  therefore,  imposes  a  lighter 
burden  on  the  taxpayer  in  the  long  run.  Not  the  least  of  its  advantages 
is  the  fact  that  its  operation  is  so  simple  as  to  be  easily  understood  by  the 
ordinary  citizen.  The  provision  for  bond  redemption  is  exactly  the  same 
un'der  either  plan  except  that  the  uncertainty  always  existing  where  sink- 
ing funds  are  operated  is  obviated  under  the  serial  method. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  sinking  fund,  however  well  it  may  be  adminis- 
tered, is  at  best  a  cumbersome  means  of  accomplishing  the  desired  end, 
since  it  involves  not  only  the.  obligation  to  keep  the  fund  properly  invested, 
"but  also  complicated  mathematical  computations  to  insure  equitable  as- 
sessments upon  the  taxpayers  during  the  period  of  the  loan  in  order  that 
the  debt  may  be  paid   at  maturity. 

GREATER  CARE  SHOULD  BE  TAKEN  IN  FIXING  THE  TERM 
OF  BOND  ISSUES. 

The  policy  pursued  in  the  past  has  been  to  issue  all  bonds  for  a  period 
extending  over  a  term  of  25  years.  The  issuance  of  bonds  of  this  char- 
acter for  the  paving  of  streets  lasting  on  an  average  about  12  years  is  a 
somewhat  short-sighted  proceeding,  for  the  streets  will  become  worn  out 
before  half  the  bonds  issued  therefor  are  redeemed. 

Bonds  should  be  issued  as  far  as  practicable  for  a  term  of  years  co- 
ordinate with  the  life  of  the  property  to  be  acquired  with  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  of  the  bonds  issued.  In  fact  it  would  be  well  to  be  conserva- 
tive and  to  issue  bonds  for  a  period  rather  less  than  the  life  of  the  prop- 
erty. Under  the  new  Clark  bill,  bonds  cannot  be  issued  for  a  period  in 
-excess   of  30  years.     For  the   acquisition   of  lands   and   the   laying   of   water 


296 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

mains  and  similar  improvements,  it  is  perfectly  justifiable  to  issue  30-year 
bonds.  For  street  .construction  purposes,  bonds  should  be  issued  for; 
terms  not  exceeding  10  to  15  years,  according  to  the  kind  of  paving  to 
be  laid.  The  construction  of  buildings  would  not  warrant  the  issuance 
of  bonds  for  a  longer  term  than  20  years.  Care  should  also  be  taken  that 
bonds  are  not  issued  until  the  money  is  actually  required.  The  premature 
sale  of  bonds  results  in  the  payment  of  unnecessary  interest  charges. 

MORE   CONSIDERATION   SHOULD   BE   SHOWN   TO    CITIZEN 
INVESTORS. 

It  might  be  well  in  issuing  bonds  in  future  to  consider  the  small  in- 
vestor and  to  issue  bonds  of  lower  denominations  than  heretofore,  so  as 
to  enable  almost  any  citizen  to  invest  in  the  city's  bonds.  This  would 
overcome,  to  some  extent  at  least,  the  difficult}7  recently  experienced  by 
Reading  in  disposing  of  its  securities.  This  difficulty  is  not  diminished 
by  the  inability  of  the  city  to  produce  statements  showing  its  exact  finan- 
cial position  to  prospective  bond  buyers.  The  fact  that  Reading  has  had 
to  refund  its  bonds  from  time  to  time  owing  to  insufficient  sinking  fund 
appropriations  or  other  causes,  makes  it  harder  to  dispose  of  its  securities. 

There  is  growing  inclination  on  the  part  of  citizens  to  invest  their 
savings  in  city  bonds.  This  is  an  exceedingly  hopeful  sign  and  should  be 
encouraged.  Reading's  citizens  came  to  its  rescue  last  year  and  subscribed 
to  a  bond  issue  which  Council  was  not  able  to  float  through  the  usual 
channels. 

SINKING  FUNDS  ARE  NOT  SCIENTIFICALLY  ESTABLISHED 
NOR   PROPERLY   OPERATED. 

The  establishment  of  sinking  funds  is  a  scientific  proposition,  and  go'od 
management  requires  that  they  be  operated  on  a  scientific  basis.  The 
sinking  funds  which  Reading  has  at  present  have  not  been  subjected  to  these 
conditions.  Immediate  steps  should  be  taken  to  adjust  all  present  sinking 
funds,  and  to  establish  them  on  a  scientific  basis.  This  should  be  done  by 
revising,  during  the  year  1914,  the  amounts  to  be  set  aside  as  sinking  fund 
installments.  A  table  should  be  prepared  showing  the  proper  installments 
to  be  set  aside  year  by  year  in  order  to  provide  the  necessary  sum  to 
meet  the  bonds  at  maturity.  After  this  schedule  is  established  it  should 
be  strictly  adhered  to. 

The  amounts  to  be  set  aside  annually  to  provide  for  the  redemption  of 
the  bonds  according  to  the  trust  provisions  are  considerably  in  excess  of 
the  amount  which  would  be  required  if  the  sinking  funds  were  properly 
invested.  It  is  only  recently  that  the  sinking  funds  have  earned  two  per 
cent.  But  even  this  income  was  not  considered  when  the  amount  to  be  set 
aside  annually  for  the  redemption  of  the  bonds  was  established.  On  the 
older  issues  of  bonds  the  annual  sinking  fund  installments  have  been  in- 
adequate; and  they  have  never  been  equitably  spread  over  the  life  of  the 
bond  issue.  Under  plans  recently  adopted  Reading  is  only  taking  care 
of  bonds  falling  due  within  the  next  five  years.  With  respect  to  bonds 
maturing  after  that  date,  no  provision  whatever  is  being  made,  although 
it  is  to  be  assumed  that,     after  the   maturity   of  the  bonds   now  being  taken 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 297 

care  of,  attention  will  be  given  to  issues  maturing  subsequently.  Nothing 
strikes  more  at  the  root  of  a  city's  credit  or  affects  the  efficiency  off  its 
business  management  more  than  the  provision  made  for  the  payment  of  its 
bonded  debt.  To  neglect  to  set  aside  each  year  proper  sinking  fund  in- 
stallments sufficient  to  provide  for  the  redemption  of  the  bonds  at  maturity, 
is  not  sound  finance. 

The  unsatisfactory  methods  of  handling  sinking  funds  in  the  past  show 
that  the  sinking  fund  commissioners  have  not  been  wholly  free  from  blame. 
The  necessity  for  placing  such  matters  on  a  businesslike  basis  is  beyond 
controversy.  The  whole  matter  seems  to  resolve  itself  into  three  main 
questions,  namely:  (1)  Is  it  advisable  to  issue  further  sinking  fund  bonds? 
(2)If  so,  should  not  the  amount  to  be  paid  into  the  sinking  fund  each  year 
to  cover  the  redemption  of  such  bonds,  be  fixed  definitely  on  an  acturial 
basis  and  stated  on  the  face  of  each  bond  and  the  sinking  fund  commis- 
sioners be  compelled  to  comply  strictly  with  such  provisions?  (3)  Would 
it  not  be  more  desirable  to  issue  bonds  in  serial  form,  making  it  mandatory 
to  redeem  out  of  revenues  annually  a  certain  number  of  bonds  and  thus 
avoid  all  the  complications  and  calculations  connected  with  the  establish- 
ment and  operation  of  sinking  funds? 

SINKING  FUNDS   SHOULD   BE   PROPERLY   INVESTED 

The  amounts  set  aside  for  the  redemption  of  bonds  at  present  out- 
standing were  never  properly  invested  until  1912.  Prior  to  that  time  these 
funds  were  allowed  to  remain  on  deposit  with  the  banks  at  two  per  cent, 
interest.  In  June,  1912,  $100,000  of  the  water  sinking  funds  was  invested 
in  four  per  cent,  city  bonds.  This  was  the  first  investment  of  sinking  funds 
belonging  to  the  water  department.  At  practically  every  date  which  may 
be  taken,  there  were  large  sums  of  money  uninvested,  most  of  which  were 
on  deposit  at  two  per  cent,  interest,  when  four  per  cent,  interest  might 
have  been  obtained  if  the  sinking  funds  had  been  invested.  It  should  be 
noted,  however,  that  the  city  is  limited  as  to  the  securities  in  which  it  may 
invest  its  sinking  funds.  The  investments  prescribed  are  national,  state 
and  city  bonds.  Bonds  of  the  national  government  have  not  recently  been 
a  very  good  paying  investment  while  it  is  understood  that  the  state  has 
no  bond  issue.  The  expedient  of  investing  the  sinking  funds  in  city  bonds 
does  not  appear  to  have  received  attention  until  within  the  last  year  or 
two.  It  should  be  pointed  out  that  interest  at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent, 
has  to  be  paid  on  all  city  bonds  j  The  creation  of  a  sinking  fund  to  retire 
such  bonds  and  the  carrying  in  such  funds-  of  many  thousands  of  dollars 
on  which  only  two  per  cent,  interest  is  paid,  is  a  procedure  which  probably 
will  not  appeal  to  the  average  business  man.  An  endeavor  should  be  made 
to  obtain  a  higher  rate  of  interest  from  the  banks  on  sinking  funds  un- 
invested, while  the  next  issue  of  bonds,  or  as  many  of  them  as  possible, 
should  be  purchased  by  the  sinking  fund  commissioners.  Such  a  procedure 
would  practically  double  the  sinking  fund  earnings. 


298  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


CONTROL  OF  MISCELLANEOUS  RECEIPTS 

MISCELLANEOUS    RECEIPTS    NOT    PROPERLY    CONTROLLED 

There  are  many  forms  of  permits,  licenses,  etc.,  in  use  in  Reading. 
No  two  are  uniform.  For  the  most  part  they  are  ordinary  receipt  forms 
with  stubs  attached  and  they  are  usually  bound  in  books.  There  can  be 
no  proper  control  over  such  documents.  Such  loose  methods  render 
.possible  the  falsification  of  records,  for  the  reason  that  the  receipts  and. 
the  stubs  are  written  separately,  which  permits  the  issuing  of  a  receipt 
for  one  amount,  and  the  entry  of  a  smaller  amount  on  the  stub.  With  no 
systematic  audit  of  miscellaneous  revenues,  it  would  be  difficult  to  dis- 
cover such  practices.  All  necessary  auditing  control  might  be  secured  by 
the  adoption  of  what  is  known  as  "financial  stationery,"  which  consists 
of  standard  blank  permits,  licenses,  etc.,  printed  on  special  safety  papery 
numbered  and  kept  by  an  auditor  of  receipts  or  other  officer  charged  with 
the  control  of  revenues.  This  officer  would  be  responsible  for  the  ordering 
of  such  stationery  and  for  its  safekeeping  until  it  is  needed  from  time  to 
time  by  the  various  collecting  agencies.  It  would  be  charged  out  to  each 
individual  collecting  agency  by  the  auditor  through  the  medium  of  a  special 
ledger  account.  The  collector  would  be  held  strictly  responsible  for  each 
and  every  blank  document  delivered  to  him.  These  documents  should  be 
so  designated  that  an  original,  duplicate,  and  triplicate  could  be  made  at 
the  same  time  by  carbon  process,  the  original  and  duplicate  being  printed 
on  one  sheet  of  paper,  with  a  graduated  stub  between.  In  issuing  the 
permit  or  license  the  graduated  stub  would  be  cut  so  as  to  show  the  exact 
amount  received  by  the  issuing  office.  The  original,  with  the  part  of  the 
graduated  stub  attached  showing  the  amount  paid,  would  be  given  to  the 
person  applying  for  the  document,  while  the  duplicate,  with  the  remaining- 
part  of  the  graduated  stub  attached,  would  be  transmitted  to  the  bureau 
of  revenue  control  where,  after  checking  and  entry,  it  would  be  audited 
by  the  controller  . 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  control  of  financial  stationery,  a  report  of 
permits  and  licenses  issued  should  be  prepared  (in  triplicate)  whenever 
permit  or  license  fees  are  paid  over  to  the  city  treasurer.  This  should  be 
done  regularly,  either  daily,  semi-monthly,  or  monthly,  as  conditions  war- 
rant. Such  report  should,  in  any  event,  be  made  up  to  and  including  the 
last  day  of  each  calender  month.  In  the  case  of  the  license  clerk,  however, 
one  of  these  reports  should  be  prepared  in  duplicate  every  day,  and  trans- 
mitted to  the  bureau  of  revenue  control,  together  with  the  duplicates  of 
permits,  licenses,  etc. 

To  facilitate  the  granting  of  licenses  and  permits,  standard  forms  of 
application  blanks  should  be  designated,  and  each  applicant  should  be, 
required  to  fill  out  such  a  form  when  making  application  for  a  permit  or 
license. 

The  city  has  a  license  clerk,  but  his  work  is  not  confined  to  the  issuing 
of  licenses.  He  performs  general  clerical  duties  in  the  office  of  the 
treasurer.  This  procedure  seems  to  work  satisfactorily.  It  would  be  ad- 
visable, however,  to  appoint  a  license  inspector  for  general  field  work,  and 
especially   for   the   purpose    of   enforcing   the    regulations    governing   permits 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  299 


and  licenses.  But  such  duties  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  a  license  inspector.  A  supervisory  control  should  be  obtained 
over  his  work  through  police  inspection  by  the  designation  of  one  day 
each  month  or  each  quarter,  when  every  policeman  should  be  required  to 
report  each  business  or  person  on  his  beat  who  should  be  licensed.  If  the 
police  were  shifted,  as  they  should  be,  from  one  beat  to  another  from  time 
to  time,  the  necessary  check  on  the  license  inspector's  report  would  be 
readily  obtainable. 

ISSUANCE    OF    LICENSESS    AND    PERMITS    SHOULD     BE     CEN- 
TRALIZED 

As  far  as  practicable,  the  collection  of  fees  and  the  issuance  of  licenses, 
etc.,  should  be  centralized  in  the  license  clerk  in  the  bureau  of  the  treasury. 
It  may  be  expedient  to  have  such  fees  collected  by  officers  other  than  the 
license  clerk  in  the  case  of  permits  issued  for  the  .breaking  of  street  pave- 
ments and  also  in  the  case  of  boiler  inspection  certificates  for  which  fees 
should  be  collected  and  certificates  issued  at  the  time  field  inspections  are 
made.  In  such  cases,  however,  all  moneys  so  collected  should  be  promptly 
turned  over  through  the  license  clerk  to  the  city  treasurer.  Where  licenses 
are  issued  other  than  by  the  license  clerk,  the  convenience  of  the  public 
should  be  considered.  The  present  system  of  requiring  a  citizen  to  climb 
to  the  third  story  of  City  Hall  with  his  application  for  a  meat  or  milk 
license  in  order  to  get  the  application  approved,  then  come  down  to  the 
treasurers  office  on  the  first  floor  to  pay  the  fee,  and  afterwards  made  a 
second  trip  to  the  third  floor  with  the  receipt  to  get  his  license,  does  not 
appeal  to  the  average  man  as  being  the  best  possible  procedure. 

LICENSES   NOT  PROPERLY  ACCOUNTED   FOR 

During  the  year  1913,  the  city  treasurer  reported  the  sum  of  $2,747 
collected  on  account  of  city  licenses:  whereas  the  licenses  issued  as  per 
the  license  register  and  the  stubs  remaining  in  the  receipt  books,  aggregate 
only  $2,607.  The  difference  occurred  between  March  1  and  June  30,  1913, 
and  is  probably  accounted  for  by  fees  which  have  been  collected  on  account 
of  licenses  but  for  which  no  licenses  were  ever  issued. 

A  comparison  of  the  license  register  with  the  stubs  of  license*  books 
discloses  the  fact  that  17  licenses  were  issued  for  which  there  was  no 
corresponding  entry  on  the  license  register.  Further  analysis  of  this  register 
discloses  the  fact  that  109  licenses  which  would  have  been  received,  were 
not  so  collected.  Of  these  licenses,  only  6  were  stated  to  be  "uncollectible" 
and  were  so  marked.  The  total  revenue  which  should  have  been  derived 
from  these  unpaid  licenses  amounted  to  $1,350. 


BUDGET 

SCIENTIFIC   BUDGET   MAKING  SHOULD   BE   ADOPTED 

The    present    methods    of    budget    making    are    conducive    to    waste    by 
reason   of  the   lack   of  efficient   control   over   the   city's   finances.     Taxpayers 


300  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

cannot  ascertain  the  purpose  for  which  their  taxes  are  voted  and  expended. 
The  entire  administration  of  the  city  is  hedged  around  with,  and  hindered 
by,  antiquated  financial  methods.  These  conditions  are  not  peculiar  to 
Reading;  they  apply  to  practically  all  cities  that  have  not  adopted  scientific 
management  and  an  adequate  system  of  financial  control,  of  which  a  proper 
budget  is  the  foundation.  There  are  several  essentials  necessary  before 
effective  budget  control  can  be  established  in  Reading.  The  most  important 
are  a  central  accounting  system,  proper  time  and  service  records,  including 
standard  payrolls,  adequate  methods  and  records  to  control  the  purchase, 
delivery,  storage,  issuance,  and  consumption  of  supplies  and  materials,  and 
an  effective  system  of  audit  or  internal  check.  Ultimately  a  complete  unit 
cost  system  should  be  installed  and  maintained  to  control  the  activities  of 
all  bureaus  so  that  at  budget  making  time  the  council  will  have  available 
complete  information,  not  only  of  the  quantity  and  cost  of  work  performed 
during,  the  previous  year,  but  also  the  amount  of  work  to  be  done  during 
the  ensuing  year  and  the  probable  cost  of  accomplishing  it. 

At  present  the  accounts  are  of  practically  no  value  in  arriving  at  proper 
budget  appropriations. 

BUDGET  ESTIMATES  SHOULD  BE  STANDARDIZED 

One.  of  the  most  important  matters  connected  with  budget  making  is 
the  preparation  of  proper  budget  estimates.  Estimates  should  be  prepared 
on.  standard  forms  which  provide  for  the  showing  in  detail  of  all  informa- 
tion necessary  as  a  basis  for  judgment  in  determining  the  amounts  which 
should  be  appropriated  for  each  function  or  activity.  Reading  does  not 
provide  its  heads  of  departments  with  any  forms  of  budget  estimate  blanks, 
but  leaves  the  method  of  submission  to  their  discretion.  The  consequence 
is  an  almost  total  lack  of  data  upon  which  to  base  appropriations.  The 
estimates*  too,  are  usually  submitted  so  late  that  a  thorough  examination 
by  the  responsible  authorities  is  impossible.  It  is  essential  that  ample  time 
be  available,  for  proper  investigation.  An  ordinance  should  be  passed 
fixing,  a  date  on  or  before  which  all  budget  estimates  must  be  received  by 
the    superintendent   of   accounts    and   finance. 

BUDGET    ESTIMATES    AND    APPROPRIATIONS    NOT    PROPERLY 
CLASSIFIED 

Funds  are  often  requested  and  appropriated  for  one  purpose  and  used 
for  another  because  the  present  form  of  budget  affords  no  adequate  basis 
for  accounting  and  auditing  control.  The  combination  of  two  or  more 
entirely  different  kinds  of  expenditures  by  means  of  "lump  sum"  appro- 
priations makes  possible  the  use  of  the  entire  fund  for  one  kind  of  ex- 
penditure to  the  possible  detriment  of  another  function  which  the  appro- 
priation was  also  intended  to  cover.  Such  methods,  by  failing  to  give  proper 
information  relative  to  the  purposes  for  which  the  money  is  to  be  used, 
are  often  misleading.  No  definite  or  standard  classification  of  appropriation 
titles  has  been  established. 

The  budget  of  every  bureau  should  be  functionalized  according  to  the 
various,  kinds  of  service  rendered.  All  funds  should  be  requested  and 
appropriated  under  standard  and  well  defined  budget  classifications,  uniform 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  301 


throughout  all  departments.  This  would  afford  an  adequate  basis  for  ac- 
counting and  auditing  control.  By  these  means  the  entire  budget  could.be 
standardized  and  comparisons  could  be  made  between  periods  and  also 
between  estimates,  appropriations  and  expenditures. 

To  facilitate  the  charging  of  expenditures  each  appropriation  account 
should  be  codified,  the  bureau  and  function  being  indicated  by  letters  and 
the  classification  by  numbers. 

Owing  to  the  lack  of  proper  estimate  blanks,  bureau  heads  are  permitted 
to  submit  their  estimates  in  any  form  they  desire.  The  result  is  confusion. 
In  no  one  place  is  the  cost  of  any  function  or  activity  clearly  shown.  All 
the  appropriations  connected  with  a  function  should  be  brought  together 
under  proper  classifications  so  that  the  total  cost  of  operation  and  mainten- 
ance of  each  bureau  may  be  ascertained  and  compared  with  similar  costs 
in  other  cities. 

Loose  budget  classifications  result  in  subsequent  abuse  of  appropriations. 
The  need  for  proper  classification  is   evident. 

Below  are  a  few  instances  of  the  inefficiencies  of  Reading's  budget  for 
the  year  1913-1914.     There  are  many  similar  examples. 

Appropriations    such   as    "For   new   work,   general    repairs,    etc.,   $50,000." 
appearing   under   Highways    should   not   be    permitted.     Construction 
expenditures  should  never  be  consolidated  with  operation  and  main- 
tenance expenses. 
Appropriations    for    new    construction    such    as    "For    improved    paving 

$32,500"  have  no  place  in  a  tax  levy  budget. 
Appropriations    for    "Clerical    assistance    and    sundry    items"    and    "For 
blank  books,  stationery  and  miscellaneous^  expenses"  cannot  be  con- 
trolled under  any  auditing  system. 
There  is  no  reason  for  including  the  appropriation  "For  lighting  streets 
and    City   Hall  $87,580"    under   the    Police    Department.     The    appro- 
priation  "For   bread   and   matches    $200"    is    a    peculiar   mixture    and 
so  is   "For  telegram  messages,   care  of  City  Hall,   etc.,  $2,500." 
The   $400  appropriated  '"For   sealing  weights    and   measures"    is    for   the 

salary  of  a  temporary  emplo3^ee;  it  should  be  so  stated. 
"For  miscellaneous  expenses  (including  milk  and  meat  (inspection) 
$3,500"  is  another  example  of  how  a  budget  should  not  be  made. 
The  department  of  health  appropriations  are  all  indefinite.  The 
$6,000  appropriated  for  "permanent  improvement  to  private  alleys" 
should  have  been  given  to  the  highway  department,  and  not  to  the 
department  of  health.  It  was  primarily  for  paving  work. 
It  is  not  quite  clear  why  the  appropriation  to  the  department  of  finance 
should  have  included  such  provisions  as  "For  necessary  expenses 
of  city  officials  $2,000,"  which  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  item;  "For 
a  contingent  fund  $2,000,"  "For  maintaining  and  conducting  Free 
Public  Library  $7,700,"  and  "For  playgrounds  and  public  baths 
$2,344.84."  These  items  are  appended  to  and  included  with  appro- 
priations for.  debt  service  aggregating  $110,000. 
The  $10,057.44  appropriated  to  the  department  of  city  property  is  ^almost 
entirely  for  repairs  to  fire  engine  houses  and  would  have  been  more 
properly  placed  under  fire  department. 


3Q2 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

The    ordinance    covering;    salaries,    also    purporting    to    be    classified    by 
departments,    is    exceedingly    mixed.      The    salaries    of    the    mayor,    a 
janitress  and  city  scavenger  all  appear  under  the  police  department, 
while    the    salaries    of    the    city    clerk    and    his    assistants,    clerks    to 
•  councils,    librarian,    etc.,    are    charged     against    the    department    of 
finance. 
As    a    result    of    several    years    of    earnest    study    based    on    practical    ex- 
perience,   New    York    City    has    established    standard    budget    classifications. 
With  very  slight  modifications  these  can  be  used  in  Reading.     The  classifica- 
tions recommended  are  as  follows: 

STANDARD  BUDGET  CLASSIFICATIONS 

Account 

No.  :"■  •  ■ 

10    PERSONAL  SERVICE 

ii  Salaries,   regular  employees 

12  Salaries,   temporary   employees 

13  Wages,   regular   employees 

14  Wages,  temporary  employees 

15  Fees 

j6  Commissions 

20  SUPPLIES 

21  Food   supplies 

22  Forage  and  veterinary  supplies 

23  Fuel  supplies 

24  Office    supplies 

25  Medical   and   surgical   supplies 

26  Laundry,   cleaning  and   disinfecting   supplies 

27  Refrigerating    supplies 

28  Educational  and  recreational  supplies 

29  Botanical    and    agricultural    supplies 

31  Motor   vehicle   supplies 

32  General   plant   supplies 

40    MATERIALS 

'        41  Highway  materials 

42  Sewer  materials 

43  Building   materials 

44  General  plant  materials  • 

50  EQUIPMENT 

51  Office    equipment 

52  Household  equipment 
53'  Medical  and  surgical   equipment 

54  Live  stock 

55  Motorless    vehicles    and    equipment. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  3°3 


56  Motor  vehicles  and  equipment 

57  Wearing   apparel. 

58  Educational  and  recreational  equipment. 

59  General  plant  equipment. 

60  CONTRACT  OR  OPEN  ORDER  SERVICE 

61  General  repairs 

62  Motor  vehicle  repairs 

63  Water 

64  Light,  heat  and  power 

a)  Lighting  streets  and  parks 

b)  Lighting   public   buildings 

c)  Power 

d)  Heat. 

65  Janitorial  service. 

66  Transportation. 

a)  Hire  of  horses  and  vehicles  with  drivers. 

b)  Hire  of  horses  and  vehicles  without  drivers. 

c)  Storage  of  motorless  vehicles. 

e)  Shoeing  and  boarding  horses,  including  veterinary  service, 
f)  Hire   of   automobiles 

g)   Carfare. 

h)  Expressage  and  deliveries  , 

67  Communication  service 

a)  Telephone. 

b)  Telegraph,  cable  and  messenger  service. 

68  General  plant  service 

69  Printing   (other  than  forms)    and  binding. 

70  FIXED  CHARGES  AND  CONTRIBUTIONS 

71  Debt  service 

a)  Interest 

b)  Redemption. 

c)  Sinking  fund  installment 

d)  State  tax  on  bonded  debt. 

72  Rent. 

73  Pensions. 

74  Insurance. 

75  Care  of  dependents  in  private  institutions. 

76  State  taxes  other  than  on  bonded  debt. 

77  Advertising 

78  Contributions 

80    MISCELLANEOUS  ITEMS  NOT  OTHERWISE  CLASSIFIABLE 


81  Contingencies. 

82  Rotary  funds. 


304 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

90    ADDITIONS  AND  BETTERMENTS. 

91.  Land. 

92  Structures  and  parts. 

93  Non-structural  improvements  to  land. 

BUDGET  IS  GIVEN  INSUFFICIENT  PUBLICITY 

The  departmental  budget  estimates  have  been  given  no  publicity  hitherto, 
and  the  citizens  know  nothing  of  budget  matters  until  after  council  has 
settled  the  tentative  budget  and  it  is  printed  as  a  news  item  in  the  local 
papers.  No  public  hearings  are  held,  although  much  interest  might  be 
aroused  and  valuable  assistance  obtained  if  public-spirited  citizens  and  civic 
associations  were  given  opportunity  to  participate  in  the  discussion  of  the 
budget  with  the  council.  The  original  budget  estimates  as  well  as  the 
tentative  budget  should  be  published  in  detail,  and  public  hearings  should 
be  held  before  the  budget  is  finally  passed  as 'an  ordinance.  A  period  of 
at  least  one  week  should  be  alowed  between  the  publication  of  the  tentative 
budget  and  the  public  hearings.  The  final  budget  should  be  printed  in  pam- 
phlet form  and  given  as  wide  publicity  as  possible. 

BUDGET  SHOULD  BE  PASSED  AS  A  SINGLE  ORDINANCE 

The  present  practice  of  passing  the  budget  in  a  dozen  or  more  ordinances 
and  without  proper  restricting  provisions  is  wrong  in  principle.  It  prevents 
the  presentation  and  examination  of  the  city's  financial  needs  as  a  whole. 

The  budget,  throughout,  should  be  considered  as  a  unit,  and  it  should  be 
adopted  in  a  single  ordinance.  It  should  include  such  restrictions  as  will 
insure  the  use  of  appropriations  only  for  the  functions  and  purposes  for 
which  they  were  requested  and  should  also  provide  for  proper  supervision 
over  subsequent  supplemental  appropriations  and  transfers  between  appro- 
priations. 

A  BUDGET  EXHIBIT  WOULD  HELP  BOTH  CITIZENS  AND  CITY 
OFFICIALS 

A  failure  of  the  citizens  to  appreciate  the  needs  of  Reading  is  the 
principal  reason  why  bond  issues  have  been  so  consistently  opposed  and  why 
many  desirable  improvements  have  been  deferred  for  lack  of  funds  It  is 
surprising  how  little  the  average  man  knows  of  the  workings  of  the  municip- 
ality in  which  he  lives.  By  showing  citizens  what  they  are  getting  for  their 
money  and  what  they  might  get,  budget  exhibits  have  done  much  to  arouse 
the  interest  of  the  citizens  of  many  communities  in  civic  government. 

Budget  exhibits,  too,  afford  an  opportunity  for  city  officials  and  heads 
of  bureaus  to  show  the  public  graphically  the  work  they  are  accomplishing 
with  the  funds  allotted  to  them,  the  necessity  for  increased  appropriations, 
the  problems  to  be  solved,  and  the  plans  for  future  development.  Citizen 
support  can  be  obtained  by  the  administration  if  the  facts  are  properly 
presented. 

A  budget  exhibit  thus  forms  a  medium  through  which  the  city  official 
may  reach  the  public.     Any  intelligent  taxpayer  may  learn  by  this  means  the 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  305 


use  to  which  his  money  is  put,  and  he  may  obtain  information  to  serve  as 
the  basis  of  judgment  as  to  the  necessity  for  proper  appropriations  and  the 
danger  of  misappropriation  and  waste  of  public  funds. 

A  clearer  conception  of  the  methods  and  cost  of  government  could  be 
obtained  by  having  a  budget  exhibit  in  Reading;  its  educational  value  could 
not  be  overestimated. 


COLLECTION,  CUSTODY  AND  DISBURSEMENT 
OF  PUBLIC  FUNDS 

PAYMENT  OF  FEES  FOR  COLLECTING  REVENUES  SHOULD  BE 
DISCONTINUED 

The  city  treasurer  is  the  highest  paid  official  on  the  payroll.  He  receives 
a  salary  of  $2,000  per  annum,  and  in  addition  a  commission  on  collections, 
for  which  the  last  appropriation  made  was  $9,500.  Out  of  this  total  sum  of 
$11,500  the  only  disbursements  he  has  to  make  are  the  delinquent  tax  col- 
lectors. 

The  city  treasurer  states  that  he  pays  10  per  cent,  commission  on 
delinquent  tax  collections,  although  he  receives  only  five  per  cent,  com- 
mission thereon  from  the  city.  Even  at  the  higher  rate  the  amount  he  paid 
out  on  this  account  was  considerably  under  $2,000,  leaving  the  net  compensa- 
tion of  the  treasurer  at  approximately  $10,000. 

The  work  to  be  performed  by  the  city  treasurer  does  not  warrant  any 
such  remuneration.  A  salary  of  $2,500  a  year  would  be  ample  compensation 
for  the  servicc^rendered.  The  responsibility  of  the  office  should  be  covered 
by  a  fidelity  bond,  the  premium  of  which  should  be  paid  by  the  city  and  not 
by  the  treasurer  as  at  present.  The  treasurer  is  now  bonded  for  $50,000. 
As  the  cash  balances  at  banks  and  on  hand  are  seldom  less  than  half  a 
million  dollars,  the  inadequacy  of  the  present  bond  is  apparent. 

The  payment  of  fees,  especially  for  the  collection  of  taxes  and  miscellan- 
eous revenues,  is  fast  becoming  obsolete  in  efficiently  governed  cities.  The 
expenditure  of  several  times  the  amount  necessary  for  the  collection  of 
taxes  in  Reading  should  be  discontinued  as  soon  as  possible.  Taxes  and 
other  revenues  should  be  collected  by  the  treasurer  or  his  staff,  all  of  whom 
should  be  paid  fixed  annual  salaries  only.  Such  work  could  be  performed 
more  economically  were  the  services  performed  by  qualified  city  employees 
and  an  adequate  system  established  for  controlling  the  revenues  in  question. 

ABNORMAL   AMOUNT   OF   TANES   ALLOWED   TO    BECOME 
DELINQUENT 

The  latest  figures  available  with  respect  to  delinquent  real  estate  and 
personal  taxes  show  that  approximately  $29,000  had  to  be  turned  over  to 
delinquent  tax  collectors  for  collection.  A  further  sum  of  over  $18,000, 
representing  uncollected  poll  taxes,  was  also  handed  over  to  the  delinquent 
tax  collectors,  making  a  total  of  over  $47,000,  which  the  city  treasurer  failed 
to  collect.  Such  conditions  are  somewhat  alarming  when  compared  with  the 
record  established  by  the  treasurer  of  the  neighboring  City  of  Allentown, 
who    collected    his    entire    tax    roll   with    the    exception    of  $56.      Tt    must    be 


3o6 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

remembered  that  Reading's  taxes  aggregate  a  sum  twice  that  of  Allentown's, 
but  even  so,  a  comparison  of  the  two  cities  indicates  the  need  for  drastic 
action  on  Reading's  part.  It  is  considered  that  if  the  temporary  offices  of 
delinquent  tax  collectors  were  abolished  and  the  whole  matter  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  city  treasurer,  as  suggested  elsewhere  in  this  report,  much 
better  results  could  be  accomplished.  The  present  difficulty  is  largely  due 
to  the  fact  that  steps  have  not  been  taken  to  issue  more  promptly  notices 
of  sale,  and  thus  induce  the  payment  of  rates  without  the  necessity  of  filing 
liens. 

At  the  end  of  each  fiscal  year  approximately  $30,000  of  real  estate,  per- 
sonal and  poll  taxes  remain  outstanding.  Immediate  steps  should  be  taken 
to  remedy  such  conditions. 

THE  COLLECTION   OF  TAXES  SHOULD   BE  VESTED   IN   ONE 
CENTRAL  BODY 

The  collection  of  taxes  in  the  City  of  Reading  is  costly,  inefficient  and 
unbusinesslike.  The  state  and  county  taxes  are  collected  by  16  collectors, 
all  having  separate  offices.  In  many  cases  these  offices  are  not  even  situated 
within  the  ward  in  which  the  taxes  are  assessed.  The  school  taxes  have  to  be 
paid  at  the  school  administration  building.  The  general  city  and  poll  taxes 
and  the  water  rates  are  payable  at  the  office  of  the  city  treasurer  at  City 
Hall.  They  become  due  at  different  dates,  thus  necessitating  two  or  more 
attendances.  A  citizen  holding  property  in  each  ward  of  the  city  has  to  pay 
taxes  to  19  different  people.  Every  citizen  has  to  pay  taxes  to  at  least  three 
different  collectors. 

It  is  entirely  within  the  jurisdiction  of  council  to  consolidate  immediately 
the  collection  of  city  and  poll  taxes  and  water  rates,  as  this  would  need  only 
the  passage  of  an  ordinance.  The  failure  of  council  to  make  this  change  is 
costing  the  city  approximately  $5,000  per  annum. 

There  is  some  doubt  as  to  whether  school  taxes  could  be  collected  by 
the  city.  The  doubt,  however,  is  apparently  in  favor  of  the  city's  doing  so. 
In  the  event  of  the  city  deciding  to  collect  school  taxes  the  due  date  of  such 
taxes  and  the  date  of  the  imposition  of  penalties  for  non-payment  should 
be  changed  so  as  to  conform  with  similar  regulations  relating,  to  city  taxes. 

The  day  is  probably  not  far  distant  when  Reading  will  adopt  the  methods 
employed  in  the  more  progressive  communities  where  all  taxes  are  collected 
by  one  central  tax  collecting  body.  This  would  be  a  great  convenience  to  the 
taxpayers.  The  plan,  however,  could  not  be  entirely  carried  out  without 
recourse  to  legislation. 

ALL  COLLECTIONS  SHOULD  BE  DEPOSITED  IN  BANKS  DAILY 

The  present  practice  of  depositing  only  a  part  of  each  day's  collections 
has  been  denounced  on  many  occasions  in  various  cities.  Au  collections 
should  be  deposited  in  the  bank  day  by  day.  In  order  that  the  treasurer  may 
have  a  fund  out  of  which  to  cash  city  warrants  for  payees  having  no  banking 
accounts,  an  imprest  fund  of  say  $5,000  should  be  established.  This  fund 
shguld  be  opened  up  with  one  of  the  banks  in  the  name  of  the  city  treasurer. 
Out   of   such   fund   the   treasurer   could   cash   all   necessary   warrants,   paying 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


these  warrants  into  his  imprest  account  and  drawing  against  them  as  may 
be  necessary.  Such  a  scheme  would  enable  not  only  the  receipts  of  the 
treasurer  to"  be  kept  under  control,  but  would  also  enable  the  imprest  fund 
to  be  readily  checked  up  at  any  time.  The  treasurer  would  always  have  to 
produce  on  audit  either  cash  or  warrants  aggregating  the  total  amount  of 
this  fund. 

Taking  the  cash  balances  on  hand  at  the  end  of  each  of  the  last  12 
months,  it  has  been  found  that  the  average  cash  in  the  hands  of  the  city 
treasurer,  as  per  his  reports,  has  been  about  $15,000  .  At  the  end  of  some 
months,  however,  there  has  been  as  much  as  $60,000  on  hand.  The  sum  of 
$15,000  is  probably  three  times  as  much  as  necessary.  If  the  balance  of 
$10,000  had  been  deposited  in  one  of  the  banks  it  would  have  been  earning 
two  per  cent,  interest. 

.MULTIPLICITY  OF  RECORDS  IN  TREASURER'S  OFFICE  SHOULD 
BE  ELIMINATED 

The  city  treasurer  maintains  a  small  library  of  cash  books.  A  separate 
water  collection  book  is  kept.  This  is  a  large  bulky  volume  in  which  is 
recorded  in  sequence  of  receipt  the  bill  number,  name  of  payor,  the  location 
■of  the  property  in  respect  to  which  payment  is  made,  and  the  amount  of 
charges  and  penalties  paid.  This  book  is  totalled  daily,  the  totals  being 
carried  forward  from  the  first  to  the  last  day  of  each  month.  No  segregation 
is  made  as  between  flat  rates,  meter  charges,  and  other  miscellaneous  ac- 
counts collected.  Another  cash  book  relating  to  the  water  department  is 
kept  in  which  receipts  as  well  as  payments  are  shown.  The  receipts,  how- 
ever, are  entered  in  this  book  in  totals  only.  Here  again,  no  segregation 
is  made  as  between  the  different  kinds  of  receipts  and  payments.  A  further 
cash  book  is  kept  to  record  moneys  received  on  account  of  the  frontage  tax 
levied  in   respect  to  water  mains. 

Another  cash  book  is  kept  in  which  are  recorded  the  amounts  received 
and  payments  made  on  account  of  city  departments  other  than  water.  An- 
other set  of  cash  books  is  also  maintained,  one  for  each  house  sewer  assess- 
ment ditrict.  These  books  show  all  particulars  of  receipts  including  the 
amount  of  interest  charges   on  each  quarterly  installment. 

A  small  cash  book  is  used  for  recording  appropriations,  interest,  etc., 
connected  with  the  sinking  funds.  This  record  is  a  combination  of  cash 
book  and  ledger,  and  contains  accounts  for  all  bonds  issued. 

In  addition  to  the  above  between  40  and  50  ledgers  are  maintained,  one 
for  each  of  the  various  general  and  special  funds  of  the  city. 

Practically  all  of  the  above  records  should  be  eliminated.  In  the  place 
of  the  multiplicity  of  cash  books,  two  loose-leaf  forms  are  recommended: 
a  register  of  receipts  and  a  register  of  warrants  and  withdrawals  from  banks. 

The  register  of  receipts  would  be  used  to  record  all  moneys  received, 
irrespective  of  their  nature.  This  sheet  would  be  ruled  to  show  the  book 
reference  to  the  charge,  name  of  the  payor,  and  the  total  amount  received 
from  each  person.  The  balance  of  the  form  would  be  divided  into  cash 
columns  bearing  headings  corresponding  to  the  kinds  of  receipts  which  were 
most  numerous;  for  instance,  current  taxes  would  be  divided  into  real  estate 
and    personal   taxes    and    poll   tax.     Taxes    of   prior   years    would    be    shown 


308 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

in  a  separate  column  with  a  space  at  the  side  to  show  the  year  in  respect 
to  which  they  were  paid.  The  water  receipts  would  be  analyzed  into  three 
columns  to  show  flat  rates,  meter  accounts,  and  permit  and  miscellaneous 
receipts  respectively.  A  special  column  would  be  provided  to  show  permits, 
licenses,  fines  and  other  miscellaneous  revenues  other  than  water.  Two 
columns  would  be  devoted  to  special  and  trust  accounts,  an  analysis  being 
made  between  accounts  receivable  and  deposits.  The  balance  of  the  columns 
would  be  left  blank  to  provide  for  special  receipts  of  a  temporary  nature. 
A  space  would  be  left  at  the  extreme  right  of  the  sheet  in.  which  to  insert 
the  title  of  the  fund  to  be  credited  in  respect  to  items  not  specifically 
analyzed. 

A  register  of  warrants  and  withdrawals  from  banks  should  be  installed 
in  which  to  record  all  warrants  signed  by  the  city  treasurer.  This  form 
should  show,  in  order  of  the  warrant  number  given  by  the  treasurer,  par- 
ticulars of  every  warrant;  e.  g.  voucher  number,  the  name  of  the  payee,  and 
the  fund  distribution  according  to  department  code,  account  number  and 
amount.  The  other  half  of  the  record  showing  the  banks  on  which  such 
warrants  were  made  payable  would  be  divided  into  two  main  sections;  namely, 
general  accounts  and  other  accounts.  The  general  accounts  would  be  again 
sub-divided  as  between  warrants  in  payment  of  general  city  accounts  and 
water  accounts.  Against  each  item  other  than  general  accounts,  the  title 
of  the   account  and  the   amount  warranted  would  be   shown. 

As  many  sheets  of  the  two  above  mentioned  forms  would  be  used  as 
might  be  necessary  to  record  the  entire  day's  business.  Some  days  there  would 
not  be  sufficient  to  fill  even  one  sheet,  while  in  the  busy  season  40  or  50 
sheets  would  be  required.  These  sheets  should  be  used  in  a  holder,  some- 
what similar  to  a  blotter  holder,  which  would  be  far  more  convenient  than 
the  present  bulky  cash  books.  After  the  cash  had  been  balanced  at  the  end 
of  each  day,  these  sheets  could  be  bound  in  loose-leaf  binders  to  form  a 
permanent  record  of  receipts  and  payments. 

If  entries  were  made  on  these  sheets  in  the  order  in  which  payments 
were  made  at  the  cashier's  window,  irrespective  of  the  nature  of  receipt  or 
payment,  the  present  system  of  having  several  large  books  on  the  desk  and 
making  entries  in  different  books  according  to  the  various  receipts  or  pay- 
ments would  be  eliminated. 

One  loose-leaf  ledger  should  be  installed  to  take  the  place  of  the  40  or 
50  fund  ledgers  now  maintained  in  the  city  treasurer's  office.  This  should  be 
^posted  up  daily  from  the  cash  statements  suggested  later. 

TREASURER'S  REPORTS  COULD  BE  GREATLY  IMPROVED 

At  the  end  of  each  month  the  city  treasurer  prepares  a  typewritten  report 
in  detail  of  all  receipts  and  payments  for  the  month. 

A  balance  book,  which  is  written  up  daily  is  maintained  also.  This 
shows  in  summary  form  the  receipts  and  payments  and  the  balances  carried 
from  day  to  day.  A  copy  of  this  book  is  submitted  to  the  controller  each 
afternoon  at  the  close  of  business.  A  further  copy  is  filed  in  the  office  of 
the  city  treasurer  for  the  information  of  the  press  and  the  general  public. 

Instead  of  the  monthly  reports  and  the  daily  balance  books  and  state- 
ments now  maintained  or  prepared  by  the  city  treasurer,  one  form  of  daily 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  309 


cash  statement  should  be  prepared.  This  should  be  divided  into  two  sections, 
relating  respectively  to  general  city  funds  and  water  funds.  These  state- 
ments should  contain  a  summary  of  each  day's  receipts,  arranged  under 
definite  classifications.  They  should  show,  also,  a  summary  of  bank  deposits, 
withdrawals  and  balances.  The  bank  summary  should  be  grouped  to  show 
together  all  general,  reserve  and  coupon  accounts,  bond  fund  accounts,  sink- 
ing fund  accounts  and  special  and  trust  accounts. 

With  such  a  statement  before  him,  the  superintendent  of  accounts  and 
finance  could  see  at  a  glance  the  status  of  every  fund  and  banking  account 
as  well  as  keep  tabs  on  the  nature  and  amount  of  each  day's  receipts. 

COLLECTION  METHODS  NEED  MODERNIZING 

The  present  form  of  statement  of  city  taxes  and  the  stub  tax  receipt  book 
do  not  conform  to  up-to-date  tax  collecting  methods.  The  stub  receipt  book, 
which  is  the  only  office  record  of  taxes  collected,  necessitates  the  double 
writing  of  every  receipt,  once  on  the  stub  and  again  on  the  receipt  handed 
to  the  taxpayer.  This  work  is  all  done  by  hand.  The  receipts  are  signed  by 
means  of  a  rubber  stamp  facsimile  of  the  treasurer's  signature. 

The  stubs  of  the  tax  receipt  book  are  totalled  page  by  page  from  the 
first  until  the  end  of  the  month  when  they  are  carried  to  the  cash  book. 
Taxes  of  all  kinds  should  be  prebilled,  as  suggested  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

Under  the  proposed  system  of  prebilling  taxes  and  with  efficient  arrange- 
ments for  handling  collection  matters  during  the  busiest  season,  it  should  be 
possible  to  eliminate  entirely  the  long  line  of  patient  citizens  waiting,  in 
some  cases  hours,  to  pay  their  tax  bills.  A  small  expenditure  for  temporary 
help  and  the  installation  of  the  methods  suggested  above  would  remedy 
the  unsatisfactory  conditions  which  have   existed  in  the  past. 

TAX  PREBILLING  WOULD  ELIMINATE  THE  PREPARATION  OF 
DELINQUENT  TAN  ROOKS 

Sixteen  books,  one  for  each  ward,  have  been  written  up  for  the  use  of 
delinquent  tax  collectors  heretofore. 

With  a  tax  prebilling  system  in  operation  the  work  of  writing  up  these 
records  would  be  eliminated.  The  tax  bills  could  be  punched  with  two  small 
round  holes,  which  could  be  used  for  binding  receipts  in  a  suitable  binder. 
The  city  treasurer,  at  the  proper  time,  would  clear  his  files  of  unpaid  receipts 
and  counterfoils,  making  an  adding  machine  list,  and  showing  the  reference 
number  and  the  amount  of  each  receipt  before  turning  over  the  bills  to  the 
delinquent  tax  collectors.  Every  bill  would  have  to  be  accounted  for  sub- 
sequently by  the  respective  collectors. 

INTEREST  ON  BANK  DEPOSITS  COULD  BE  INCREASED  50  PER 
CENT. 

Under  an  ordinance  passed  in  1909  and  still  in  force,  council  designates 
the  depositories  for  the  city's  funds,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  city  treasurer 
to  deposit  all  moneys  in  such  institutions  in  pro  rata  proportion  to  the 
total  sum  of  the  capital  and  surplus  of  all  such  depositories,  provided  that 
there  shall  not  be  on  deposit  in  any  one  bank  at  any  time  an  amount  greater 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS*  AND  FINANCE 


than  25  per  cent,  of  its  capital  and  surplus  and  provided  further  that  all 
such  depositories  agree  to  pay  two  per  cent,  interest,  computed  monthly, 
on  average  daily  balances.  The  existing  ordinance  is  incorrectly  worded, 
and  it  could  not  be  carried  out  to  the  letter.  The  banks  naturally  desire 
more  than  the  depositing  of  moneys;  they  want  the  average  daily  balance  to 
be  maintained  in  the  proportion  indicated,  although  the  ordinance  does  not 
require  any  such  condition.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  adhere  to  the 
spirit  and  intent  of  the  ordinance  but  these  have  failed  in  practical  applica- 
tion. Some  banks  have  had  on  deposit  at  times  only  a  small  fraction  of  the 
amount  to  which  they  were  entitled,  while  others  have  had  many  times  their 
share. 

The  present  procedure  of  depositing  the  funds  of  the  city  with  11  out 
of  the  14  banks  doing  business  in  the  city  is  commendable  in  that  it  eliminates 
the  selection  of  depositories  through  favoritism.  The  three  banks  not 
receiving  city  funds  refused  to  pay  any  interest,  and  they  were  accordingly 
excluded  from  participation  in  deposits.  In  the  matter  of  the  number  of 
accounts  maintained,  however,  the  division  of  funds  seems  to  have  been 
carried  too  far.    The  city  is  now  carrying  54  accounts,  as  follows : 

11  general  accounts,  with  11  different  banks. 

12  interest  coupon  accounts,  with  9  different  banks. 
12  sinking  fund  accounts,  with  9  different  banks. 

19  miscellaneous   accounts,   with  8  different  banks. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  a  city  of  the  size  of 
Reading  to  carry  54  banking  accounts,  with  a  probability  that  an  addition 
will  be  made  to  that  number  in  the  near  future.  It  is  almost  impossible  to^ 
operate  any  practical  banking  plan  under  such   conditions. 

The  city  has  not  received  in  the  past  nor  is  it  now  receiving  an  adequate 
return  on  its  deposits,  averaging,  the  year  around,  about  half  a  million  dol- 
lars. The  two  per  cent,  interest  now  paid  on  deposits  is  a  comparatively 
recent  "concession".  It  is  only  during  the  last  three  or  four  years  that 
the  city  has  received  any  interest  on  funds  deposited  with  banks,  except  in 
the  case  of  one  institution  which  has  paid  interest  on  the  city's  accounts 
ever  since  it  has  held  them.  Most  of  the  banks  in  Reading  are  paying  three 
per  cent,  interest  on  time  deposits  and  savings  accounts  of  private  individuals, 
and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  discriminate   against  the   city. 

The  community  has  a  right  to  expect  the  fiscal  officer  of  the  city  to 
obtain  the  best  possible  rate  of  interest  on  the  city's  funds,  and  to  deposit 
the  funds  on  such  a  basis  as  to  preclude  any  suspicion  of  sentiment  or 
favoritism  to  any  institution.  It  is  suggested  for  the  better  protection  of 
the  city  that  the  banks  designated  as  city  depositories  be  required  to  deposit 
with  the  city,  as  collateral,  securities  at  least  equal  in  value  to  the  amount 
of  the  city's  funds  entrusted  to  their  care.  Such  collateral  should  be  limited 
to  city  bonds  or  similar  first  class  securities. 

COMPETITIVE  BIDDING  FOR  DEPOSITS  SHOULD  BE  ADOPTED 

In  order  to  obtain  as  high  a  rate  of  interest  as  possible  for  city  moneys 
on  deposit,  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  discrimination  which  tends  to  creep 
in  where  the  depositing  of  funds  is  not  definitely  fixed,  and  to  reduce  the  54 
banking    accounts    to    a    reasonable    number,    a    plan    of    competitive    bidding- 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 311 

should  be  adopted.  This  would  place  the  depositing  of  funds  on  a  practical, 
businesslike  and  equitable  basis  to  large  and  small  institutions  alike.  The 
method  proposed  is  accepted  as  the  best  practice  in  all  the  most  progressive 
cities  in  the  country,  and  it  is  daily  growing  in  favor  as  the  only  fair  means 
of  awarding  such  privileges. 

In  proof  of  this  contention,  attention  is  called  to  conditions  in  other 
cities.  The  city  of  Pittsburgh,  under  a  plan  of  competitive  bidding,  is 
receiving  nearly  four  per  cent,  on  some  of  its  deposits,  and  four  banks  in 
that  city  pay  over  three  and  one-third  per  cent,  on  city  funds.  New  York 
banks,  until  recently,  were  paying  two  per  cent,  on  city  'deposits,  but  they 
have  already  expressed  their  willingness  to  pay  a  minimum  rate  of  two  and 
one-half  per  cent,  on  all  accounts  under  competitive  bidding.  Chicago,  St. 
Louis,  Cleveland,  Cincinnati,  Kansas  City,  and  nearly  all  progressive  cities 
have  adopted  competitive  bidding,  and  they  are  obtaining  far  higher  rates 
of  interest  on  city  funds  than  Reading.  The  banks  in  the  neighboring  city 
of  Allentown  have  recently  agreed  to  pay  three  per  cent,  on  all  city  deposits. 

In  adopting  the  plan  of  competitive  bidding,  there  are  certain  factors 
and  considerations  to  which  attention  should  be  given.  Briefly  -they  are 
as  follows: 

A  definite  maximum  should  be  placed  on  the  amount  that  may  be 
deposited  in  any  institution.  In  determining  this  maximum  a  basis  of  ten 
per  cent,  of  the  combined  capital  and  surplus  of  the  bank  should  be  taken. 
For  every  additional  one-fourth  per  cent  of  interest  on  daily  balances  over 
two  per  cent,  an  additional  two  and  one-half  per  cent,  of  the  capital  and 
surplus  of  the  institution  should  be  added  up  to  20  per  cent,  of  such  capital 
and  surplus  combined.  From  the  total  amount  which  may  be  placed  in  any 
bank  on  this  basis,  a  deduction  should  be  made  at  the  rate  of  one-half 
per  cent,  of  capital  and  surplus  for  every  unit  of  variation  above  the  ratio 
of  one  to  five  between  its  capital  and  surplus  and  the  deposits  in  that 
particular  institution.  Correspondingly,  an  addition  should  be  made  of  like 
amount  for  every  unit  of  variation  between  its  capital  and  surplus  and  the 
deposits  below  a  ratio  of  one  to  five. 

The  examples  given  below  show  the  application  of  the  above  principles. 

BANK  A. 

Capital  stock  and  surplus $1,000,000 

Deposits    10,000,000 

Minimum  basis — 10  per  cent,  of 1,000,000         $100,000 

Rate  of  interest  offered,  three  per  cent.,  adds  10 

per  cent  of 1,000,000          $100,000 


$200,000 
Ratio  of  capital   and   surplus   to   deposits    I   to   10 
results  in  a  reduction  of  five  times  one-half  per 
cent,  or  two  and  one-half  per  cent 2,500 


Maximum  limit  of  deposits ^jp^-^ 


312  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


BANK  B. 

Capital  stock  and  surplus. ' $1,000,000 

Deposits    3,000,000 

Minimum  basis — ten  per  cent,  of 1,000,000         $100,000 

Rate  of  interest  offered,  two  and  one-half  per 

cent.,  adds  five  per  cent,  of 1,000,000             50,000 


$150,000 
Ratio   of  capital  and   surplus   to   deposits   one   to 
three  results  in  an  increase  of  two  times   one- 
half  per  cent,  or  one  per  cent 1,000 


Maximum  limit  of  deposits  $151,000 

In  adopting  this  plan  no  obligation  should  be  assumed  to  place  in  any 
bank  the  full  amount  that  it  is  entitled  to  under  the  rule,  even  if  funds  are 
available.  Moreover,  in  no  case  should  a  maximum  deposit  of  20  per  cent,  of 
capital  and  surplus  be  exceeded.  A  continual  watch  should  be  kept  on  the 
conditions  of  the  depositories,  and  adjustments  of  deposits  should  be  made 
according  to   evidence   of  the   stability   of  the   depositories. 

In  order  that  the  city  may  have  the  benefit  of  every  safeguard,  banks 
should  be  given  credit  for  strength  and  suffer  a  deduction  for  weakness. 

The  first  deposits  should  be  made  in  the  banks  giving  the  best  terms 
to  the  city,  and  the  first  withdrawals  should  be  from  the  banks  giving  less 
favorable  terms.  In  transferring  funds,  removal  should  be  made  first  from 
the  accounts  paying  the  lower  rates  of  interest.  Naturally,  the  city  should 
always  endeavor  to  keep  the  maximum  deposit  in  the  institution  offering 
the  highest  rate  of  interest,  but  safety  should  not  be  neglected  for  the  sake 
of  interest  earnings. 

ALTERNATIVE  SCHEME  OF  MAKING  DEPOSITS  IS  SUGGESTED 

In  the  event  of  the  banks  submitting  unsatisfactory  bids  or  imposing 
restrictions  with  regard  to  the  payment  of  interest  which  would  prevent  the 
city  awarding  the  deposits  and  custody  of  public  funds  under  a  scheme  of 
competitive  bidding,  it  might  be  necessary  to  formulate  other  plans  which 
will  be  practical  in  operation  and  satisfactory  to  the  banks.  Such  an  alter- 
native plan  is  suggested  below. 

One  bank,  to  be  designated  by  a  majority  of  the  banks  in  the  city  of 
Reading,  would  handle  all  the  active  accounts  of  the  city.  It  is  proposed  to 
limit  the  active  accounts  to  two  in  number,  namely,  general  city  account  and 
general  water  account.  The  bank  handling  these  accounts  would  be  changed 
at  the  end  of  each  fiscal  period;  that  is,  the  first  bank  designated  would 
handle  these  accounts  until  December  21st  next.  After  that  date  another 
bank  would  be  designated  at  the  commencement  of  each  calendar  year.  It 
is  suggested  that  a  list  be  established,  showing  the  order  in  which  the  banks 
would  rotate  in  the  handling  of  these  active  accounts,  according  to  their 
clearing  house  number.  The  bank  handling  these  general  accounts  should 
not  be  required  to  pay  any  interest  on  daily  balances  except  when  the 
aggregate  balances  in  the  two  accounts   exceed  the  sum   of  $20,000.     On  all 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  3*3 


amounts  above  this  sum  the  bank  should  pay  interest  to  the  city  at  the 
rate  of  two  per  cent.,  computed  monthly,  on  such  daily  balances.  The  bank 
handling  these  active  accounts  should  handle  no  other  city  account,  nor 
should  daily  balances  in  such  institutions  be  allowed  at  any  time  to  exceed 
20  per  cent,  of  its  capital  and  surplus. 

All  taxes  and  other  revenues  collected  by  the  city  would  be  deposited 
in  these  active  accounts  and  remain  there  until  the  end  of  each  month,  when 
an  estimate  would  be  made  of  requirements  of  the  city  for  the  ensuing 
month.  As  soon  as  the  estimate  is  completed,  steps  would  be  taken  to  transfer 
the  ascertained  amount  from  (to)  the  active  accounts  to  (from)  reserve 
accounts  which  would  be  maintained  in  all  banks  in  the  City  of  Reading  ex- 
pressing their  willingness  to  pay  the  city  interest  thereon  at  the  rate  of 
three  per  cent.,  computed  monthly,  without  restrictions  of  any  kind  what- 
soever. 

These  reserve  accounts  would  be  inactive  in  nature.  They  would  be 
built  up  as  taxes  are  collected,  and  they  would  remain  undisturbed  until 
money  is  required  to  meet  current  expenses.  This  would  mean  that  the 
accumulation  of  funds  in  July  of  each  year  would  be  approximately  one-half 
of  the  city's  annual  revenues  from  all  sources;  each  month  thereafter  such 
reserves  would  be  decreased  one-sixth,  the  drafts  being  made  by  one  check 
each  month.  The  amount  to  be  deposited,  retained  or  drawn  from  each 
bank  should  be  on  a  percentage  basis,  according  to  the  capital  and  surplus 
of  the  various  institutions  in  which  the  city's  funds  may  be  deposited.  Under 
110  circumstances,  however,  should  the  balance  deposited  with  an  institution 
exceed  20  per  cent,  of  its  capital  and1,  surplus. 

All  other  accouits,  such  as  sinking  funds  and  special  and  trust  accounts, 
should  be  apportioned  between -the  banks  agreeing  to  pay  the  city  three 
per  cent,  interest  on  its  reserve  deposits. 


FINANCE,  ACCOUNTING  AND  AUDITING 

NO  FACT  BASIS  FOR  FINANCIAL  CONTROL 

It  is  impossible  for  council,  however  good  its  intention,  to  administer 
the  government  of  the  city  and  especially  its  finances  according  to  the  best 
business  methods  unless  it  has  a  fact  basis  on  which  to  predicate  its  actions. 
The  accounts  of  the  city  as  disclosed  by  the  records  in  the  controller's  office 
contain  little  information  as  to  financial  conditions  which  would  be  of  use 
to  council. 

A  great  part  of  the  difficulty  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  persons  in  charge 
of  the  city's  accounts  and  finances  are!  not  men  trained  in  their  work.  The 
City  Controller  is  a  bricklayer,  while  the  "accountant"  does  not  even  under- 
stand double-entry  bookkeeping.  Both  men  are  over  60  years  of  age. 
Neither  possesses  proper  qualifications  for  the  position  he  occupies.  Their 
knowledge  of  finance  and  accounting  is  negligible. 

The  books  and  accounts  are  kept  on  a  single-entry  system  under  which 
errors  can  be  made  and  remain  undetected.  The  information  is  not  so 
co-ordinated  as  to  render  it  available  for  the  purposes  for  which  it  might  be 
used.     The  annual  report  and  such  other  reports  as  are  prepared  lack  much 


3M DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

of  the  information  they  should  contain  and  contain  much  information  which 
should  be  eliminated. 

No  proper  system  of  reporting  exists.  The  annual  reports  contain  a 
mass  of  data,  tables  and  statements  which  "have  been  prepared  each  year 
for  many  years  past.  No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  revise  the  form  of 
statements  in  order  to  make  them  complete  or  informing. 

There  is  no  statement  which  shows  correctly  and  fully  the  assets  and 
liabilities  of  the  city  at  any  given  time  or  its  revenues  and  expenditures 
for  any  specified  period.  Many  of  the  assets  have  never  been  shown  on 
the  books.  Liabilities  amounting  to  approximately  $00,000,  incurred  prior 
to  December  1,  1913,  had  not  been  entered  on  the  books  at  that  date. 

The  principles  of  accounting  and  methods  outlined  in  this  survey  have 
l>een  demonstrated  to  be  sound  and  practicable  by  application  to  other 
municipal  governments  and  to  private  corporations.  They  provide  a  means 
of  producing  information  that  is  needed  by  administrative  officials. 

NEED   FOR  CENTRALIZED  ACCOUNTING. 

There  is  a  tendency  in  some  bureaus,  especially  in  the  Bureau  of  High- 
ways and  Sewers,  to  maintain  duplicate  accounting  records.  This  is  due, 
to  a  great  extent,  to  the  fact  that  proper  accounts  have  not  been  kept  in 
the  controllers  office.  As  soon  as  proper  accounting  records  can  be  ar- 
ranged and  centralized  in  the  Bureau  of  Accounts  as  suggested,  steps  should 
be  taken  to  prevent  a  continuation  of  the  duplication  of  accounting  records 
in  other  bureaus.  This  would  eliminate  the  cost  of  accounting  work  now 
incurred  unnecessarilv. 


METHODS  OF  FINANCING  HAVE  RENDERED  CONSTRUCTIVE 
PROGRAM  IMPOSSIBLE. 

Reading's  policy  with  regard  to  the  issuance  of  bonds  has  not  been 
wholly  sound,  and  this  is  the  principal  reason  why  the  city  has  fallen  behind 
others  of  its  class.  Owing  to  the  failure  of  the  citizens  to  appreciate  the 
necessity  of  having  a  constructive  program,  there  are  many  things  which 
Reading  should  have  had  years  ago  but  which  it  still  lacks.  The  few  improve- 
ments carried  out  have  been  made  generally  at  the  expense  of  proper  main- 
tenance of  existing  properties.  A  striking  example  is  afforded  by  the  condi- 
tion of  the  streets^  Of  the  amounts  appropriated  last  year  for  highway 
purposes,  over  $50,000  was  spent  on  new  construction  work,  which  left  in 
the  appropriation  a  balance  which  was  only  about  half  the  amount  neces- 
sary to  maintain  the  city's  streets  in  fair  condition.  The  endeavor  to  obtain 
funds  for  construction  work  out  of  current  revenues  can  never  become 
effective  in  Reading  while  the  tax  assessments  are  so  unequal  and  the  amount 
required  to  meet  the  current  cost  of  administration,  operation  and  mainte- 
nance, and  fixed  charges  on  bonds  demands  even  more  than  the  ten-mill 
tax  levy  affords. 

This  state  of  affairs  is  not  of  recent  origin,  but  it  has  become  more  acute 
in  the  last  few  years  owing  to  the  cumulative  effect  of  such  a  policy.  It  is 
essential  that  the  proper  maintenance  of  properties  already  held  by  the 
city  be   a   first   charge   on   its    revenues,    and   that   no   revenues   be    used    for 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 315 

new  construction  work  until  ample  provision  is  made  for  the  maintenance 
of  present  properties.  If  the  revenues  are  all  required  to  meet  current 
operation  and  maintenance  charges,  it  is  obvious  that  construction  or  devel- 
opment work  can  be  financed  only  by  means  of  bond  issues, 

FINANCING  OF  PUBLIC  IMPROVEMENTS  NOT  WELL  DEFINED 

Reading  has  no  well-defined  plan  for  financing  public  improvements. 

It  is  just  as  important  to  prepare  a  budget  covering  expenditures  relat- 
ing to  the  construction  or  acquisition  of  city  properties  as  it  is  to  establish 
an  annual  tax  levy  budget  to  provide  for  current  operating  expenses.  The 
preparation  of  a  bond  budget  would  enable  the  comparative  importance 
of  the  city's  needs  to  be  more  clearly  appreciated.  It  would  disclose  to 
both  Council  and  citizens  the  improvements  immediately  necessary  as  well 
as  those  desirable,  the  estimated  cost  thereof,  and  the  funds  available  for 
such  purposes. 

The  necessity  for  bond  issues  could  be  brought  home  more  forcibly  to 
the  electors  by  this  means,  and  the  difficulty  of  getting  their  assent  to 
further  borrowing  would  be  materially  reduced,  if  not  entirely  eliminated. 
The  trouble  experienced  in  financing  improvements  in  the  past  has  been 
due  in  great  measure  to  lack  of  confidence  in  the  administration.  If  such 
matters  were  brought  before  the  public  in  such  a  manner  that  they  could 
see  for  themselves  exactly  what  was  contemplated,  it  is  felt  that  the  senti- 
ment now  existing  against  bond  issues  would  disappear.  The  issuance  of 
new  series  of  bonds  so  greatly  needed  for  highway  construction  and  other 
work  would  also  assist  the  sinking  funds  by  providing  an  interest-paying 
investment  which  would  produce  double  the  income  now  obtained. 

BOND  AND  COUPON  REGISTERS  WELL  KEPT  BUT  NOT 
UP-TO-DATE. 

The  City  Controller  maintains  a  series  of  scrap  books  in  which  can- 
celled bonds  and  paid  coupons  are  pasted.  These  records  are  well  kept, 
although  at  the  time  of  making  the  survey  they  were  not  up-to-date.  Many 
hundreds  of  coupons  which  were  stated  by  the  controller  to  relate  to  a 
period  prior  to  his  incumbency,  were  found  packed  away  in  a  cigar  box. 
The  controller  stated  that  he  did  not  consider  it  the  duty  of  himself  or  his 
subordinates  to  complete  the  records  of  previous  administrations.  It  was 
noted,  however,  that  all  the  coupons  and  such  bonds  as  had  been  redeemed 
had  been  carefully  cancelled. 

TAX  LEVY  IMPROPERLY  APPORTIONED. 

The  tax  rate  as  established  by  ordinance  does  not  show  properly  the 
apportionment  of  taxes.  Under  the  Clark  bill  separate  levies  should  be 
made  (1)  for  general  purposes  and  (2)  for  interest  and  sinking  fund  install- 
ments on  bonds  and  for  improvements.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  water 
bonds  were  issued  on  the  strength  of  the  city's  credit,  and  a  clause  inserted 
in  these  bonds  making  it  mandatory  to  levy  a  tax  rate  to  meet  the  interest 
and  sinking  fund  charges  thereon,  it  has  been  necessary  each  year  to  add 
approximately  one   mill   to  the   city  tax  rate   for  this   purpose.     This   makes 


316 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

the  millage  for  debt  service  charges  one  mill  higher  than  it  should  be,  but 
a  corresponding  decrease  is  made  in  the  millage  for  general  purposes  by 
crediting  the  amount  paid  on  the  water  bonds  as  a  miscellaneous  revenue 
of  the  city.  The  result  is  a  tax  levy  that  does  not  reflect  the  true  state  of 
affairs.  If  the  plan  adopted  by  practically  every  other  city  had  been  adopted 
in  Reading,  the  interest  and  sinking  fund  charges  on  the  water  bonds  would 
have  been  made  a  first  charge  against  water  revenues,  with  the  city  reve- 
nues merely  pledged  as  collateral  in  the  event  of  the  water  revenues  not 
being  sufficient  to  meet  these  bond  obligations.  The  interest  and  sinking 
fund  clauses  in  future  water  bond  issues  should  be  amended  accordingly. 

APPROPRIATION  RECORDS  D.O  NOT  DISCLOSE  ESSENTIAL 
INFORMATION. 

The  appropriation  ledger,  so  called,  is  merely  a  summary  of  receipts  and 
disbursements  by  months  that  incidentally  shows  the  total  warrants  charged 
against  each  appropriation.  Separate  sheets  are  maintained  for  each  appro- 
priation  account. 

The  appropriation  entry  books  (or  ledgers,  as  they  should  be  called) 
and  the  methods  of  operating  them  are  badly  in  need  of  revision.  While 
it  is  desirable  that  the  appropriation  ledgers  be  balanced  at  the  end  of  each 
month,  there  is  no  necessity  for  ruling  off  the  appropriation  accounts  each 
month.  Such  procedure  is  a  waste  of  time.  The  form  of  appropriation 
ledger  is  fairly  efficient  though  it  could  be  somewhat  improved  in-  arrange- 
ment. 

No  appropriation  account  shows  encumbrances  in  respect  to  orders 
issued.  Contracts  executed,  however,  are  charged  against  appropriations. 
Under  any  proper  system  of  appropriation  accounting  it  would  be  necessary 
to  record  all  encumbrances  against  the  respective  appropriation  or  fund 
account.  A  new  form  of  appropriation  ledger  which  would  take  the  place  of 
the  two  records  above  should  be  designed  and  installed  as  soon  as  possible. 

PROPER   STATEMENTS   OF  APPROPRIATION   BALANCES 
SHOULD  BE  ADOPTED. 

Loose  slips,  called  "balance  sheets,"  submitted  to  Council  from  time  to 
time,  show  by  departments  the  particulars  of  expenditures  certified  against 
each  appropriation  and  the  balance  unexpended.  The  slips  are  small,  very 
likely  to  get  lost,  and  do  not  disclose  all  significant  information.  Contracts, 
certified  are  treated  as  expenditures  but  no  reserves  are  shown  for  open 
market  orders  uncompleted.  A  special  form  of  statement  of  appropriation 
balances  should  be  devised  and  installed  which  would  show  the  amount  of 
each  appropriation  as  modified  to  date,  the  total  vouchers  charged  against 
appropriations,  the  unexpended  balance  of  appropriations,  the  reserves  for 
contracts  and  open  market  orders  and  the  unencumbered  balances  of  appro- 
priations. The  head  of  each  bureau  should  be  furnished  with  a  copy  of  that 
part  of  the  statement  which  relates  to  his  bureau  while  complete  copies 
should  be  submitted  to  Council  by 'the  Superintendent  of  Accounts  and 
Finance. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  317 


TAXES  SHOULD  BE  PREBILLED. 

Reading,  unlike  most  cities  of  its  size,  issues  but  few  tax  bills.  These  are 
mostly  to  real  estate  agents  and  to  taxpayers  who  own  a  considerable  number 
of  properties  or  to  non-resident  taxpayers  who  have  to  remit  their  taxes 
by  mail  and  necessarily  have  to  ascertain  the  amount  before  this  can  be 
done.  The  prebilling  of  taxes  is  strongly  recommended,  as  this  would 
obviate  the  writing  up  of  the  treasurer's  tax  duplicate  by  hand  and  at  the 
same  time  produce  bills  and  register  schedules  which  would  subsequently 
form  tax  ledgers.  A  great  saving  would  be  effected  by  the  adoption  of 
these    methods. 

Before  the  billing  can  be  made  really  efficient,  prebilling  cards  should 
he  designed  and  installed.  These  should  contain  spaces  in  which  to  insert 
the  ward,  block  and  lot  numbers,  and  the  street  address  of  the  respective 
premises.  They  should  permit  also  the  insertion  of  particulars  as  to  the 
occupancy  of  the  premises  and  the  making  of  a  note  where  property  is 
exempt  from  taxation.  Plenty  of  space  should  be  provided  in  which  to 
show  the  name  of  the  owner,  as  this  may  change  from  time  to  time.  The 
body  of  the  card  should  be  ruled  to  show,  say  20  years  of  tax  valuations, 
columns  being  provided  for  the  total  tax  valuation  and  the  amount  of  the 
tax  each  year,  the  balance  of  the  card  being  available  for  any  notations 
which  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  from  time  to  time.  The  tax  prebilling 
cards  would  form  the  record  from  which  the  prebilling  could  be  done  year 
by  year.  These  cards,  however,  would  not  need  to  be  written  up  every 
year  as  are  the  tax  duplicates  under  present  conditions,  but  could  be  de- 
signed to  last  at  least  20  years. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  tax  bill  to  be  installed  be  prepared  in  tripli- 
cate. The  original  copy  of  the  tax  bill  would  form  the  receipt  ultimately 
to  be  issued  to  the  taxpayer.  The  duplicate  copy  of  bill  would  be  used  for 
purposes  of  accounting  control  in  the  Bureau  of  the  Treasury  and  in  the 
proposed  Bureau  of  Revenue  Control  where  it  would  be  posted  to  the  tax 
register  schedules.  The  triplicate  copy  of  bill  could  be  used  as  a  memoran- 
dum or  advice  to  taxpayers  of  taxes  payable. 

The  register  schedule,  which  is  practically  a  fourth  copy  of  a  bill,  but 
in  ledger  form,  should  be  so  designed  that  it  could  be  used  as  the  tax 
ledger.  All  that  would  be  necessary  to  accomplish  yiis  end  would  be  to 
provide  columns  on  the  schedule  to  show  the  date  of  payment  and  the 
amount  paid,  and,  in  addition  any  adjustments  to  or  cancellations  of  the 
original  amount  of  taxes. 

CHARGES  FOR  WATER  SUPPLY  ON  FLAT-RATE  BASIS  SHOULD 
ALSO  BE  PREBILLED. 

A  system  of  prebilling,  almost  identical  with  that  outlined  above  in 
respect  to  taxes,  should  be  designed  and  installed  to  control  the  charges 
for  water  supplied  on  a  flat-rate  basis.  If  this  were  done  it  would  eliminate 
entirely  the  present  water  rate  ledgers  which  have  to  be  written  up  every 
three  years  and -over  which  it  is  impossible  to  exercise  accounting  control. 

Water-rate  prebilling  cards,  somewhat  similar  to  those  to  be  used  for 
taxes,  should  be  prepared  to  control  water  rates.  These  water-rate  cards, 
in  the  majority  of  cases,  will  last  at  least  25  years,  few,  if  any,  changes  being 


3i8  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

made  after  the  original  installation  of  fixtures.  These  cards,  however,, 
should  be  drawn  to  show  every  change  made  in  any  rate  and  references 
indicating  where  the  fullest  details  of  changes  and  the  reasons  therefor  can 
be  ascertained.  Such  cards  should  contain  the  ward,  block  and  lot  number 
and,  in  addition  to  street  address  of  the  property  supplied,  also  the  name 
of  the  owner  of  the  premises  and  ample  space  to  permit  the  recording  of 
changes  in  ownership.  Space  should  be  provided  in  which  to  indicate  the 
names  of  persons  to  whom  bills  are  to  be  forwarded  if  not  to  the  owner.. 
Provision  should  be  made  for  significant  information  as  to  the  number  of 
fixtures  by  means  of  columns  across  the  card  and  further  columns  should 
be  provided  to  show  the  charge  for  the  billing  period  either  semi-annually 
or  annually  as  may  be  decided.  Further  provision  should  be  made  for  the 
recording  of  the  dates  on  which  the  supply  is  turned  on,  shut  off,  etc. 

From  these  cards  the  water  bills  and  register  schedules  would  be  prepared 
in  exactly  the  same  manner  as  described  under  the  prebilling  of  taxes. 

PROPER  METHODS  OF  REGISTERING  ORDERS  SHOULD  BE 
ADOPTED. 

The  only  record  of  orders  issued  is  the  stub  in  the  order  book  written 
up  in  the  office  of  the  City  Clerk.  A  proper  register  of  orders  should  be 
devised  and  installed  immediately.  This  should  show  the  order  number, 
the  date  the  order  was  issued,  and  the  number  of  the  requisition  as  a  result 
of  which  the  order  was  issued.  It  should  show  also  the  name  of  the  vendor 
and  the  nature  and  amount  of  the  order.  The  department  code  and  account 
number  should  be  shown  also  when  the  functions  and  activities  of  the  city 
and  proper  classification  of  accounts  are  established  and  coded.  Space 
should  be  provided  for  the  subsequent  insertion  of  the  number  of  the  invoice 
or  bill  received  so  as  to  show  when  an  order  has  been  filled  and  to  pre- 
vent  duplicate  billing   and   payment. 

Such  a  record,  if  installed  and  properly  operated,  would  afford  the  basis 
for  establishing  reserve  accounts  to  show  the  liability  of  the  city  on  Uncom- 
pleted contracts  and  open  market  orders. 

STANDARD  FORMS  OF  INVOICES  COULD  BE  MADE  MORE 
EFFECTIVE.         % 

The  standard  forms  of  invoices  in  use  are  good,  but  they  could  be 
improved.  It  has  been  the  custom  to  require  these  invoices  in  triplicate. 
The  forms  lack  proper  certification.  It  is  suggested  that  a  new  form  of 
standard  invoice  be  devised  and  installed.  This  should  be  required  in 
original  and  duplicate  only.  The  original  copy  of  the  invoice  should  be 
forwarded  with  the  goods  or  to  the  department  for  whom  the  services 
were  rendered  while  the  duplicate  copy  should  be  forwarded  to  the  Bureau 
of  Accounts  at  City  Hall,  either  on  the  same  day  as  the  goods  are  delivered 
or  immediately  after  services  are  rendered.  The  front  of  the  invoice  should 
be  used  entirely  by  the  person  supplying  the  goods  or  performing  the 
services  while  the  reverse  side  of  the  sheet  should  be  reserved  for  use 
of  city  departments.  The  reverse  side  should  contain  certificates  as  to  the 
receipt  of  goods,  the  performance  of  services  or  the  expenditure  of  money 
and  should  be  signed  by  the  person  having  knowledge  of  the  facts  and  ap- 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  3*9 


proved  by  the  head  of  the  bureau.  A  second  certificate  on  every  bill  should 
be  signed  by  the  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  respective  department. 
The  back  of  the  invoice  should  also  show  the  department  code  and  account 
numbers  of  the  various  appropriations  out  of  which  the  claim  is  payable, 
the  amount  chargeable  against  such  fund,  as  well  as  the  classification  of 
the  expenditure  for  expense  accounting  records. 

ACCOUNTS  PAYABLE  SHOULD   BE  REGISTERED. 

There  is  no  proper  method  of  registering  accounts  for  payment.  A 
form  of  "register  of  accounts  payable"  should  be  devised  and  installed. 
This  could  be  made  to  combine  on  one  loose-leaf  sheet  a  register  of  in- 
voices, vouchers  and  warrants.  The  essential  information  to  be  recorded 
would  be  the  number  of  the  order,  the  number  of  the  invoice,  the  date  of 
the  invoice  and  of  its  registration,  the  voucher  and  warrant  number,  the 
name  of  the  claimant  and  nature  of  the  claim,  the  department  code  and 
account  number  of  the  appropriation  out  of  which  it  is  payable,  and  the 
total  amount  of  the  account  payable.  This  register  should  also  show  the 
distribution  of  such  total  amounts  by  general  appropriation  funds,  capital 
or  bond  funds,  sinking  funds,  and  special  and  trust  funds,  distinguishing 
between  city  and  water  accounts. 

SYSTEM  OF  WARRANTING  VOUCHERS  SHOULD  BE  REVISED. 

The  drawing  of  a  warrant  for  every  bill  followed  by  the  drawing  of  a 
separate  check  to  liquidate  each  warrant  is  an  unbusinesslike  and  costly 
wav  of  handling  a  simple  matter.  It  is  suggested  that  a  form  of  "voucher 
warrant  check"  be  devised  and  installed.  This  should  be  so,  designed  that 
it  can  be  prepared  on  the  typewriter  and  thus  save  much  of  -the  time  now 
wasted  in  drawing  up  warrants  and  checks  by  hand.  Under  such  a  scheme 
it  is  not  necessary  to  draw  more  than  one  warrant  each  month  for  any 
individual  or  firm,  no  matter  how  many  bills  they  may  render  to  the  city. 
Such  a  form  woufd  be  prepared  in  duplicate  at  one  operation  and  would 
show  the  dates  of  the  various  bills  to  be  vouchered  and  paid,  the  invoice 
number,  particulars  of  the  claim,  as  well  as  the  amount  of  each  invoice.  The 
form  would  permit  of  these  particulars  being  detached  by  the  claimant  and 
retained  by  him  so  that  he  might  know  exactly  which  of  his  bills  were 
being  paid  by  the  city.  The  lower  half  of  the  warrant  would  be  perforated 
so  that  it  might  be  torn  off  and  thus  form  a  check.  It  would  primarily 
be  a  warrant  on  the  City  Treasurer  signed  by  the  Superintendent  of  Ac- 
counts and  Finance.  This  would  be  made  payable  at  a  given  bank  by  the 
City  Treasurer  and  after  signature  by  that  official  would  be  turned  over 
to  the  payee  who  would  handle,  it  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as  an  ordinary 
clieck.  On  the  reverse  side  of  the  duplicate  form  proper  certificates  should 
be  printed.  The  first  certificate,  containing  all  the  essential  clauses,  should 
be  signed  and  dated  by  the  accountant  while  a  certifiiate  as  to  audit  should 
be  signed  and  dated  by  the  City  Controller.  The  back  of  the  form  would 
also  show  an  endorsement  to  be  used  for  filing  purposes.  A  summary 
showing  fund  distribution,  by  department  code,  account  number  and  amount, 
should  be  shown  on  the  warrant  in  order  to  comply  with  legal  requirements. 


32Q DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

The  four  different  warrant  books  now  maintained  in  the  office  of  the 
City  Controller  are  unnecessary  and  should  be  discontinued. 

READING  HAS  NO  PROPER  GENERAL  LEDGER. 

The  city  has  a  "general  ledger,"  but  it  is  improperly  named.  It  con- 
tains only  accounts  relating  to  the  care  of  highways,  repairs  to  paving  of 
street  railroad  area,  repairs  to  water  meters,  and  other  subordinate  records. 
Proper  general  and  subsidiary  ledgers  should  be  designed  and  steps  should 
be  taken  immediately  to  analyze  and  complete  the  present  records  so  that 
the  necessary  ledgers  may  be  installed  as  soon  as  possible. 

The  uses  and  purposes  of  a  general  ledger  are  (i)  to  make  available, 
in  a  single  record,  all  the  facts  necessary  to  inform  those  in  administrative 
control  concerning  the  true  financial  conditions  of  the  city  and  the  results 
of  operating  its  various  functions  and  (2)  to  obtain  financial  control  over 
the  accuracy  of  all  departmental  and  detail  accounting  records  and  reports. 

In  order  that  business  transactions  may  be  summarized  and  promptly  and 
accurately  reported,  there  should  be  two  groups  of  accounts  maintained  in 
the  general  ledger — one  relating  to  proprietary  transactions  and  the  other 
to  funding  operations.  The  first  group  should  show  what  the  city  owns, 
what  it  owes,  and  what  the  results  of  its  operations  have  been,  expressed 
in  terms  of  revenue,  expense,  surplus  or  deficit.  The  other  group  should 
show  resources  available  and  appropriations  or  authorizations  to  incur  lia- 
bilities against  such  resources. 

Reading's  books  and  accounts  do  not  meet  these  requirements  except 
in  a  partial  way  which  renders  them  useless  for  all  purposes  of  financial 
or  administrative  control. 

A  saving  could  be  effected  by  standardizing  the  rulings  of  the  general 
ledger  and  the  various  subsidiary  ledgers.  It  is  suggested  that  a  standard 
form  of  debit  and  (credit  ledger  sheet  as  well  as  an  analytical  ledger  sheet 
be  established.  These  could  be  used  for  the  proposed  general  ledger  or  any 
other  purpose  required.  They  should  be  in  loose-leaf  form  so  that  they 
could  be  made  up  in  any  manner  desired.  It  is  recommended,  however, 
that  after  the  sheets  forming  the  new  general  ledger  are  settled  and  com- 
pleted, the  loose-leaf  sheets  on  which  such  accounts  are  written  up  be 
bound  in  permanent  form. 

MISCELLANEOUS  RECORDS  NEED  REVISION. 

The  special  fund  ledger  contains  practically  all  accounts  of  importance 
except  those  relating  to  appropriations.  It  is  an  ordinary  double-column 
ruled  ledger  and  is  not  particularly  well  adapted  to  its  purpose.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  accounts  kept  in  this  ledger  should  be  in  a  subsidiary  ledger 
and  should  be  controlled  by  one  account  in  the  general  ledger. 

The  claim  register  contains  a  record  of  uncollected  taxes,  water  rents 
and  similar  items  handed  over  to  the  City  Solicitor  for  collection  or  lien 
action.  Some  such  record  as  this  will  have  to  be  maintained  even  under 
the  new  system.  The  present  form,  however,  will  have  to  be  considerably 
improved  before  it  can  become  part  of  any  proper  accounting  system  of 
the  city. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


The  record  of  improvements  and  assessments  against  property  owners 
is  a  fairly  good  record,  though  it  has  no  footings  and  is  only  balanced  once 
each  year,  namely,  at  the  end  of  the  fiscal  period  when  the  unpaid  items 
are  extracted.     It  should  be  under  control  at  all  times. 

SUITABLE  SYSTEM   OF   COST  RECORDS  SHOULD   BE 
ESTABLISHED. 

With  a  view  to  securing  information  essential  to  the  control  of  efficiency 
of  departmental  forces,  a  suitable  system  of  cost  records  should  be  estab- 
lished. Considerable  time  would  have  to  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
design  of  such  a  system  and  to  the  writing  of  a  tentative  procedure  govern- 
ing the  use  of  forms,  etc.  The  objects  of  the  proposed  cost  system  would 
be   as   follows : 

i.     To  ascertain  the  total  and  unit  cost  of  each  class  of  work  performed 

2.  To  show  the  quantity  of  each  class  of  work  performed. 

3.  To  show  separately  the  three  main  elements  of  expense  entering 
into  the  cost  of  each  class  of  work,  namely  (a)  labor  charges;  (b)  material 
charges;   (c)  plant  and  equipment  charges. 

4.  To  show  comparatively  the  cost  of  performance  for  each  group  of 
workers. 

5.  To  secure,  by  interpretation  of  this  data,  information  as  to  the 
efficiency  of  performance  by  departmental  forces,  thus  facilitating  adminis- 
trative control. 

6.  To  show,  when  taken  in  conjunction  with  records  of  current  condi- 
tions, the  adequacy  of  service  rendered  to  the  public. 

7.  To  permit  a  determination  of  the  point  beyond  "which  it  will  be 
undesirable,  from  an  economic  point  of  view,  to  continue  maintenance  work, 
or  in  other  words,  the  time  when  replacement  must  be  contemplated. 

8.  To  provide  data  on  which  departmental  budget  estimates  may  be 
based. 


PURCHASE,   STORAGE  AND  TESTING  OF 
SUPPLIES  AND  MATERIALS 

PURCHASING  METHODS  ARE  ANTIQUATED. 

The  present  methods  of  purchasing  are  neither  economical  nor  business- 
like. They  are  not  conducive  to  proper  competition.  The  Water  Department 
now  buys  its  own  supplies,  while  the  majority  of  the  other  city  departments 
have  their  supplies  purchased  through  the  City  Clerk's  office. 

Employees  in  the  various  departments  bring  in  requests,  often  on  rough 
scraps  of  paper.  Such  requisitions  are  unofficial  and  are  not  signed  or 
approved  in  any  way.  Instances  have  been  noted  of  persons  walking  into 
the  City  Clerk's  office  and  orally  stating  their  requirements  to  the  assistant 
in  charge,  without  leaving  any  written  evidence  of  their  request.  The  per- 
son acting  as  purchasing  agent  has  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  necessity 
for   such   requests. 

The  methods  of  issuing  an  order  are  out  of  date.  The  orders*  are  in 
book  form,  a   stub  being  bound   in  the  book.     Particulars   of   the    order   are 


322 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

duplicated  on  the  stub.  With  a  loose-leaf  form,  which  could  be  used  in  a 
typewriter,  the  original  and  duplicate  could  be  made  in  one  operation  and 
in  one-fourth  of  the  time  now  taken. 

There  is  a  legal  restriction  still  in  existence  which  prescribes  that  all 
purchases  necessitating  the  expenditure  of  more  than  $50  shall  be  made 
under  formal  contracts.  Compliance  with  such  regulation  is  not  strictly 
enforced,  the  law  being  circumvented  frequently  by  splitting  up  an  order 
until  the  component  parts  are  under  $50  each.  The  minimum  of  $50  is  too 
low  for  practical  purposes  and  should  be  materially  increased.  Proper  safe- 
guards, however,  should  be  provided  to  compel  competitive  bidding. 

CENTRAL  PURCHASING  AGENCY  RECOMMENDED. 

The  plan  recommended  contemplates  the  centralization  of  the  purchase 
of  all  supplies  required  by  every  city  department,  bureau,  board  or  office 
under  the  city  government,  and  the  appointment  by  Council  of  a  properly 
qualified  purchasing  agent.  A  purchasing  agent  necessarily  exercises  con- 
siderable power,  and  the  appointment  should  be  made  only  after  ample 
deliberation.  If  he  is  watched  and  controlled,  he  is  more  likely  to  be  effi- 
cient and  careful  than  inefficient  and  wasteful.  Unwatched,  he  may  remain 
efficient,  but  he  is  liable  to  become  corrupt.  Encouraged  to  be  careless, 
he  has  abundant  opportunities  both  for  inefficiency  and  corruption.  It  is 
desirable,  therefore,  that  this  officer  should  be  independent  of  all  other  city 
departments.  He  should  be,  however,  closely  in  touch  with  the  Department 
of  Accounts  and  Finance.  With  the  City  Controller  as  auditor,  exercising 
an  independent  check  over  all  city  departments,  there  would  seem  to  be  no 
reason  why,  for  the  sake  of  economy,  the  purchasing  agent  should  not  be 
located  in  the  office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Finance  and  Accounts,  and 
placed  under  the  supervision  of  that  official.  The  certification  of  requisitions 
as  to  funds  available  for  payment  would  require  the  purchasing  agent  being 
near  the  accountant  if  unnecessary  delay  is  to  be  obviated.  The  purchasing 
agent  thus  located  would  be  in  a  position  not  only  to  handle  requisitions 
and  issue  orders  but  also  to  keep  all  necessary  records  of  supplies  and 
materials.  He  would  also  be  available  for  keeping  all  other  property  records 
of  the  city.  The'  work  outlined  above  could  be  handled  by  one  capable 
man.  This  would  be  an  economical  arrangement,  as  all  departmeits  united 
have  a  very  great  purchasing  power,  which  individual  departments  have  not. 

CENTRAL  PURCHASING  WOULD  REMEDY  MANY  EXISTING 
DEFECTIVE  METHODS. 

Centralizing  the  purchasing  of  supplies  for  all  departments  would  entail 
110  extra  expense  and  would — 

1.  Accomplish  the  unification  of  all  purchases  so  that  the  city  would 
be  able  to  buy,  on  an  annual  contract  basis,  through  a  single  purchasing 
agent,  at  minimum  unit  prices,  the  estimated  gross  quantities  of  supplies 
required  for  a  year,  instead  of  purchasing  those  requirements  as  it  does 
now,  through  two  or  more  purchasing  agencies  on  open  market  orders  cov- 
ering short  periods. 

2.  Correct  the  present  method  of  purchasing  supplies  without  competi- 
tion by  compelling  the  purchase  of  all  supplies  either  by  formal  contract  or 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 323 

by  informal  tender  upon  what  is  known  as  the   '"bulletin  board"   method  of 
securing  competition. 

3.  Enable  a  daily  control  to  be  exercised  over  all  orders  for  supplies 
m  advance  of  the  execution  of  such  orders  so  that  there  would  be  a  com- 
prehensive and  efficient  administrative  supervision  over  all  supplies  purchased. 

4.  Reduce  the  number  of  vouchers  covering  supplies  due  to  the  unifica- 
tion of  purchases  for  all  departments  with  a  consequent  reduction  of  work 
in  the   Bureau  of  Accounts. 

5.  Broaden  competition  by  unification  of  quantities  and  the  obtaining 
of  bids  for  gross  quantities  required  in  the  same  trade  lines  in  a  single 
contract,  instead  of  requesting  bids  for  supplies  covering  a  dozen  different 
trade  lines  in  a  single  contract  as  at  present. 

NEED  FOR  PURCHASING  SUPPLIES  SHOULD  BE  DEFINITELY 
ASCERTAINED. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  in  the  past,  by  analysis  or  otherwise,  to 
ascertain  the  requirements  of  the  various  departments  as  a  basis  for  budget 
appropriations,  or  in  order  to  obtain  estimates  for  annual  supply  contracts. 
It  is  suggested  that  immediate  steps  be  taken  to  analyze  the  purchases  of 
the  city  for  the  past  year,  both  as  to  kinds  of  supplies,  material  and  equip- 
ment purchased  and  the  departments  for  which  the  purchases  were  made. 
This  would  furnish  a  basis  for  estimating  future  requirements. 

SUGGESTION   FOR   IMPROVING   PURCHASING  METHODS 

No  requisition  on  the  purchasing  agent  should  be  considered  until  the 
head  of  the  bureau  has  certified  to  the  necessity  for  purchase,  and  the 
requisition  has  been  approved  and  signed  by  the  administrative  head"  of  the 
department. 

All  supplies  and  materials  required  by  city  departments  should  be  pur- 
chased as  far  as  practicable,  under  annual  contracts,  containing  proper  pro- 
visions permitting  installment  deliveries  either  monthly,  or  as  may  be 
•desired. 

Before  bids  are  called  for  by  the  purchasing  agent,  the  accountant  should 
certify  that  sufficient  unencumbered  funds  are  available  in  appropriate  ac- 
counts for  the  payment  of  the  liability  to  be  incurred  By  .such  procedure 
the   exceeding   of   appropriations   can  be    controlled. 

Quotations  should  be  sought  and  bids  obtained  from  at  least  three  dif- 
ferent concerns  in  every  case.  All  quotations  should  be .  filed  for  future 
reference. 

A  bulletin  board  in  the  bureau  of  supplies,  on  which  lists  could  be  dis- 
played of  all  articles  which  the  city  desired  to  purchase,  would  soon  produce 
desirable  competition.  The  bulletin  board  should  be  used,  also,  for  the 
publication  of  lists  of  bidders  and  prices  bid.  Such  publicity  would  soon 
obtain  the  confidence  of  vendors  as  well  as  ensure  a  ''square  deal*'  by 
awarding  orders  to  the  lowest  responsible  bidders. 

The  purchasing  agent  should  be  provided  with  a  separate  telephone,  not 
to  enable  him  to  issue  oral  orders  as  has  been  done  in  the  past,  but  to  give 
him  ready  access  to  vendors  and  to  expedite  the  business  of  his  office. 
Only  in  cases  of  emergencies  should  orders  be  given  by  telephone. 


324 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

Stationery  supplies,  blank  books,  printed  forms,  etc.,  are  now  bought 
without  proper  competition.  The  forms  are  drawn  up  without  any  attempt 
at  standardization,  and  the  binding  of  books  is,  in  nearly  every  case,  far  too 
expensive.  At  least  half  of  the  present  printing  bill  would  probably  be 
saved  if  proper  attention  were  given  to  these  details. 

Many  of  the  forms  now  have  to  be  matle  out  in  duplicate,  one  being  in 
book  form  and  the  other  on  a  separate  sheet.  This  involves  double  writing. 
The  adoption  of  loose-leaf  forms  of  two  or  three  standard  sizes  and  the 
standardization  of  loose-leaf  binders  would  enable  much  of  the  work  to  be 
done  on  typewriters,  and  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  the   time  now  taken. 

The  printing  of  the  proceedings  of  council  is  a  matter  of  some  im- 
portance, as  the  cost  is  approximately  $2,000  a  year,  but  no  control  seems 
to  have  been  exercised  over  the  printing  thereof.  For  instance,  nearly  all 
of  the  budget  ordinances  have  been  spread  out  so  that  they  occupy  about  one 
paragraph  over  a  page;  as  the  paragraph  is  paid  for  as  a  full  page,  such 
procedure  practically  doubles  the  cost  of  printing.  The  prices  paid  for 
printing  seem  exorbitant.  Standardization  and  competitive  bidding  on  all 
such  matters  would  effect  immediate  economy. 

STANDARD   PURCHASING  RECORDS   SHOULD   BE   INSTALLED 

A  loose-leaf  form  of  official  orders  to  vendors  should  be  installed.  Orders 
should  be  made  out  on  the  typewriter  so  that  sufficient  copied  can  be  pre- 
pared for  issue  to  persons  interested.  The  original  copy  of  each  order  should 
be  furnished  to  the  vendor.  Another  copy  should  be  prepared  for  the  use 
of  the  purchasing  agent.  A  third  copy  should  be  made  for  the  use  of  the 
department  of  accounts  and  finance  for  bookkeeping  and  auditing  purposes, 
and  a  fourth  copy  should  be  forwarded  to  the  consignee  as  his  authority 
to  receive  the  goods. 

An  official  form,  to  be  prepared  in  duplicate,  should  be  provided  for  the 
use  of  all  departments  in  requisitioning  supplies  through  the  purchasing 
agent.     This  also  should  be  loose-leaf  in  design. 

There  should*  be  a  standard  form  of  proposal  for  bids  which  should  in- 
clude standard  instructions  for  bidders  and  also  a  standard  form  of  bid  sheet. 
Requirements  should  be  classified  according  to  the  trades  concerned,  and 
separate  schedules,  standard  as  to  form,  should  be  prepared  for  each  different 
trade. 

A  list  of  responsible  bidders  should  be  prepared,  so  that  the  city  may  be 
protected  from  unscrupulous  dealers.  No  bids  should  be  received  except 
from  bidders  who  qualify  and  are  listed.  % 

Official  quotation  sheets  should  be  provided  on  which  responsible  bid- 
ders could  quote  their  prices  for  supplies,  material,  or  equipment  required 
or  for  services  to  be  rendered. 


CARD  INDEX   FILES  AND   CATALOGUE  LIBRARY  WOULD   BE 
HELPFUL 

A  card  index  should  be  kept  of  all  purchases  showing  the  number,  date, 
and  nature  of  the  order,  the  name  of  the  vendor,  the  point  of  delivery,  and  the 
quantity,  price  and  total  cost  of  purchase.     An  interesting  statement  could  be 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 325 

prepared  from  the  orders  issued  within  the  last  few  years  if  such  a  record 
had  been  maintained.  Purchases  should  be  indexed  both  by  description  of 
article  and  by  name  of  vendor,  so  that  proper  control  may  be  obtained  over 
the  issuance  of  orders  and  the  superintendent  in  charge  of  the  department 
may  readily  ascertain  from  whom  the  city  is  buying.  The  indexing  of  pur- 
chases according  to  kinds  of  articles  purchased  will  provide  the  purchasing 
agent  with  a  source  of  valuable  information;  namely,  an  alphabetical  index 
of  supplies  purchased,  a  directory  of  the  lowest  bidders,  and  a  complete 
record  of  prices. 

A  catalogue  library  should  be  established  and  properly  maintained,  so 
that  the  purchasing  agent  may  be  in  a  position  to  assist  heads  of  bureaus 
in  the  preparation  of  proper  requisitions,  and  also  that  he  may  be  provided 
with  ready  reference  on  purchasing  matters. 

THE   PREPARATION   OF   STANDARD   SPECIFICATIONS   SHOULD 
BE  EXTENDED 

At  the  present  time  a  large  proportion  of  the  city's  purchases  are  made 
with  little  or  no  regard  to  the  kind,  grade,  style,  etc.,  of  supplies,  material  or 
equipment  best  adapted  to  particular  needs.  Most  of  the  persons  who 
requisition  material  have  no  idea  of  standarizing  their  requirements,  with 
the  result,  that  requisitions  are  made  as  fancies  dictate  without  any  thought 
of  obtaining  the  best  possible  article  at  the  lowest  possible  price.  The 
specifications  already  standardized  are  very  few. 

Standardization  of  supplies,  though  a  formidable  title,  merely  means 
selecting  the  most  serviceable  supply,  and  often  the  least  expensive,  for  every 
particular  need,  and  then  requiring  the  delivery  of  that  supply  under  enforce- 
able specifications.  Such  procedure  would  bring  about  not  only  economy 
in  price,  but  also  economy  in  serviceability,  for  the  city  would  be  assured 
of  the  delivery  of  suitable  goods  of  uniform  quality. 

Standards  should  be  established  and  definite  specifications  prepared  for 
all  supplies  regularly  required.  Standard  specifications  are  essential,  not 
only  to  efficient  buying  but  to  efficient  auditing  as  well.  All  supplies,  materials 
and  equipment  which  are  susceptible  of  being  accurately  described  should  be 
purchased  only  on  standard  specifications,  and  adequate  chemical  or  physical 
tests  should  be  made  of  deliveries  to  determine  whether  they  conform  to  such 
specifications. 

Standardization  of  supplies  might  best  be  accomplished  by  a  small  com- 
mittee composed  of  the  superintendent  of  accounts  and  finance,  the  pur- 
chasing agent,  and  the  chemist  in  charge  of  the  standard  testing  laboratory, 
br  their  representatives.  The  committee  would,  of  course,  advise  with  all 
department  and  bureau  heads  and  with  manufacturers  and  dealers,  as  might 
be  necessary,  and  in  establishing  standards  would  take  into  consideration 
original  cost  of  articles  as  well  as  their  relative  efficiency. 

COAL  SHOULD  BE  PURCHASED  ON  THE  "B.  T.  U."  BASIS 

Reading  now  buys  thousands  of  tons  of  coal  each  year,  always  on  poor 
specifications  or,  in  many  cases,  without  any  specifications  at  all. 

The  most  up-to-date  method  of  purchasing  coal  is  on  the  British  Thermal 
Unit  basis.    This  method  has  been  adopted  by  the  United  States  government 


326  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


and  by  all  the  leading  cities  of  the  country.  Coal  so  purchased  has  to  con- 
form to  certain  standard  specifications,  which  require  a  minimum  number  of 
heat  units  per  pound  of  coal  and  limit  the  percentage  of  moisture  and  ash.. 
The  amount  to  be  paid  for  coal  delivered  is  determined  by  laboratory 
analyses  and  heat  value  tests.  The  economic  value  of  this  method  has  been 
proven  in  New  York  City,  where  over  $220,000  was  saved  during  the  first 
year  after  its  adoption, 

The  superintendent  of  the  Reading  Water  Department  has  been  consider- 
ing the  advisability  of  this  method  of  purchasing  coal.  It  should  be  adopted 
by  all  city  departments  and  especially  by  the  board  of  education,  which  is  a 
large  consumer  of  fuel. 

The  necessary  analysis  and  testing  of  coal  samples  could  be  undertaken 
by  the  central  standard  laboratory,  recommended  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

A  CENTRAL  STOREHOUSE  SHOULD  BE  ESTABLISHED 

The  orders  now  issued  to  vendors  are  for  small  quantities.  This  is  due 
in  some  measure  to  the  lack  of  proper  storage  facilities.  With  a  central 
storehouse  there  is  no  reason  why  purchases  should  not  be  made  in  larger 
quantities  for  the  city  as  a  whole,  and  wholesale  prices  secured. 

A  central  storehouse  would  warrant  a  smaller  inventory  and  hence  a 
smaller  investment  than  would  be  necessary  if  stocks  of  supplies  and  material 
were  scattered  in  the  storehouses  of  departments. 

The  purpose  of  storehouses  is  to  provide  a  supply  of  material  or  articles 
to  meet  current  demands  at  short  notice,  so  that  activities  may  be  carried  on 
without  interruption  or  privation.  The  cost  of  maintaining  a  supply  of  stores 
is  a  large  item,  and,  therefore,  the  stores  carried  should  be  confined  to  such 
articles  and  such  quantities  as  are  necessary  to  proper  operation  without  in- 
convenience or  loss  resulting  from  delay  in  securing  supplies  that  are  cur- 
rently required. 

The  inspection  of  supplies  and  materials  delivered  is  a  matter  which 
apparently  has  received  very  little  attention.  This  is  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that,  under  existing  conditions,  material  is  delivered  to  many  points 
throughout  the  city.  The  establishment  of  a  central  storehouse  where  all 
supplies  could  be  delivered  and  kept  until  needed  would  permit  of  a  more 
thorough  inspection.  Standard  specifications  and  the  best  methods  of  pur- 
chasing will  not  insure  the  city  getting  what  it  orders,  unless  they  are  followed 
up  by  efficient  inspection  and,  whenever  necessary,  by  laboratory  tests. 

CONTROL  OF  SUPPLIES  AND  MATERIALS  EXTREMELY   LAX 

No  department  has  proper  records  covering  the  receipt  and  consumption 
of  supplies  and  materials.  The  water  department  keeps  certain  stores  records, 
but  these  are  incomplete. 

Standard  forms  and  procedure  should  be  established  to  control  this  most 
important  matter.  No  goods  should  be  received  except  by  a  consignee  duly 
authorized  by  an  official  order  to  receive.  No  supplies  or  materials  should 
be  issued  from  a  storehouse  except  upon  a  requisition  duly  signed  by  some 
authorized  person.  The  storekeeper  in  charge  of  supplies  and  materials 
should  keep  proper  stock  records.  Steps  should  be  taken  to  obtain  immediately 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 327 

an  inventory  of  all  supplies,  material  and  equipment  on  hand  at  a  given  date 
as  a  basis  for  the  establishment  of  a  perpetual  inventory  system.  A  suitable 
stores  ledger  should  be  maintained  either  in  the  bureau  of  supplies  or  the 
bureau  of  accounts  showing  the  quantity,  kind  and  value  of  all  material 
received  and  issued  and  of  the  quantity  on  hand  at  any  time.  The  store- 
keeper should  be  required  to  furnish  a  periodical  report  of  all  goods  received 
and  issued  by  him,  and  the  persons  to  whom  goods  are  issued  should  be 
required  to  account  therefor  through  a  proper  system  of  consumption 
records.  By  such  methods  only  can  proper  control  be  obtained  over  supplies 
and  materials.  An  efficient  system  of  stores  records  is  invaluable  at  budget- 
making  time  to  ensure  proper  appropriations  being  made. 

LABORATORIES  SHOULD  BE  CENTRALIZED 

The  water  department  already  has  a  testing  laboratory  at  the  executive 
office  on  Eleventh  Street,  and  there  is  another  at  the  sewage  disposal  plant. 
The  city  engineer  has  a  laboratory  for  the  physical  testing  of  highway  and 
sewer  construction  material,  and  the  food  inspector  also  has  adequate  labor- 
atory facilities  at  City  Hall.  The  health  authorities  are  badly  in  need  of 
proper  laboratory  facilities.  The  location  of  laboratories  in  various  parts 
of  the  city  is  neither  economical  nor  efficient.  A  standard  testing  laboratory 
properly  equipped  could  make  all  necessary  analyses  and  tests  for  every 
department.  Such  a  laboratory  might  be  divided  into  two  main  sections, 
namely  (1)  chemical  and  bacteriological  and  (2)  physical. 

Exception,  however,  might  be  made  with  advantage  in  the  case  of  the 
sewage  disposal  plant,  which  is  situated  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  Tests 
have  to  be  made  here  every  two  hours,  and  transportation  of  samples  to  a 
central  laboratory  would  tend  to   decrease   the   efficiency   of  the   plant. 

The  central  laboratory  should  be  in  charge  of  a  director  who  would  be 
responsible  for  the  testing  of  all  materials  used  in  every  kind  of  con- 
struction work,  including  materials  used  in  the  laying  and  re-surfacing  of 
streets;  the  testing  of  samples  of  all  kinds  of  supplies  purchased,  especially 
fuel;  the  chemical,  bacteriological  and  physical  tests  of  the  water  supply;  the 
analyses  required  in  connection  with  sewage  disposal,  and  photometric  tests 
of  street  lighting. 

Such  a  laboratory,  if  well  conducted,  would  save  its  cost  many  times  over 
each  year  by  ensuring  to  the  city  full  value  for  money  expended  and  in  safe- 
guarding the  health  of  the  community. 


TIME  AND  SERVICE  RECORDS 

PAYROLL  METHODS  WRONG  IN  PRINCIPLE 

From  an  administration  point   of  view  it  should  not  be   possible,   under 
a  proper  system  of  financial  control,  for  one  individual 

To  originate  the  record  upon  which  a  payroll  is  based, 
To  certify  to  the  correctness  of  a  payroll,  and 

To  handle  the  cash  and  pay  off  the  employees  whose  names  appear 
on  a  payroll. 


328 DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

Such  conditions,  however,  exist  in  Reading.  They  need  immediate  atten- 
tion. Such  practices  are  dangerous,  and  in  several  cities  have  led  to 
"Padding"'  of  payrolls. 

The  superintendent  of  finance  and  accounts  or  his  representative  should 
be  held  responsible  for  the  accuracy  of  all  payrolls,  and  the  city  treasurer  or 
one  of  his  assistants  should  act  as  city  paymaster. 

A  standard  form  of  payroll  should  be  devised  and  adopted  for  use  in  all 
departments.  The  addressograph  machine,  now  being  used  for  only  a  few 
hours  each  month  in  the  water  revenue  office,  should  be  utilized  to  facilitate 
the  preparation  of  payrolls. 


PAYROLLS  ARE  NOT  PROPERLY  CERTIFIED 

The  present  forms  of  payrolls  are  not  properly  certified.  In  some  cases 
the  head  of  the  department  signs  a  certificate  that  the  payroll  is  correct,  but 
this  is  perfunctory  and  practically  A-alueless. 

Payrolls  should  be  prepared  from  properly  certified  time  reports.  The 
manner  in  which  payrolls  are  certified  is  one  of  the  most,  important  features 
in  payroll  making.  Certificates  should  be  signed  only  by  persons  having 
knowledge  of  the  facts. 

The  person  under  whose  direction  the  payroll  is  prepared  should  certify: 
That  the  amounts  stated  on  the  payroll  are  properly  chargeable  against 

the   respective  appropriation  or  bond  accounts. 
That  no  part  of  the   several   amounts   charged   on  the   payroll   has  been 

included  or  paid  on  any  previous  payroll. 
That  there  is   on  file   evidence   that   each   person   named   on   the   payroll 

was  duly  elected,  appointed,  or  promoted  to  the  position  indicated. 
That  there  is  on  file  a  duly  certified  report  covering  the  time  stated  on 

the  payroll. 
That   the   payment   of   such   charges    will   not   exceed    the    unencumbered 

balances  of  the  respective  appropriation  or  bond  fund  accounts. 
That  the  payroll  is  correct. 

The  payroll  should  be  audited  by  the  city  controller  before  payment. 
As  auditor  he  should  be- required  to  sign  a  certificate  containing  the  following 
provisions: 

That  the  payroll  has  been  examined  and  found  correct  as  to  calculations, 
and  extensions,  and  that  all  the  certificates  necessary  for  a  complete 
audit  were  furnished. 
That  the  amounts  stated  on  the  payroll  are  properly  chargeable  against 

the    respective   appropriation   or  bond   accounts. 
That  the  items  of  expenditure  for  the  period  covered  by  the  payroll  are 

not  in  excess  of  the  amounts  expendable. 
That   the    evidence    contained    in   the   payroll   is    sufficient   to   justify   the 

audit  and  settlement  of  the  payroll  for  the  sum  of  $ 

That  the  warrant  for  the  payment  of  the  payroll  is  correctly  drawn  and 
the  amount  thereof  is  properly  chargeable  against  the  accounts  in- 
dicated. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE  329 


STANDARD   TIME   AND    SFRVICE   RECORDS   SHOULD    BE 
INSTALLED 

There  are  several  kinds  of  time  reports  used  by  the  various  city  depart- 
ments in  Reading.  None  is  efficient.  They  are  not  consistently  used  in  all 
departments  nor  by  everyone  in  any  department.  In  many  departments  there 
is  no  record  of  work  performed.  The  present  method  of  time  reporting  does 
not  show  adequate  information  regarding  the  quantity  or  the  nature  of  in- 
dividual service.  Consequently  the  basis  for  distributing  time  is  inaccurate. 
It  is  essential  that  proper  time  and  service  records,  standardized  for  all 
city  departments,  should  be  maintained.  The  introduction  of  daily  or  semi- 
monthly time  reports  for  individuals  when  not  attached  to  gangs,  and  for 
gangs  when  so  organized,  would  supply  the  necessary  information  for  securing 
adequate  expense  accounting  and  unit  costs,  and  for  establishing  efficiency 
and  service  records,  upon  which  recommendations,  for  promotion,  demotion, 
or  dismissal  could  be  made.  They  would  provide  also  an  accurate  basis  for 
the  preparation  and  audit  of  payrolls. 

A  summary  of  the  time  reports  should  be  prepared  and  transmitted  to  the 
person  in  charge  of  payrolls  in  the  office  of  the  superintendent  of  accounts 
and  finance.  Such  summaries  should  be  properly  certified  by  persons  having 
knowledge  of  the  facts. 

The  person  directly  in  charge  of  employees  should  certify: 
That  the  time  credited  to  each  person  whose  name  appears  on  the  sum- 
mary truly,   fully,   and   correctly   represents   the   time   such   person   in- 
dividually worked  with  due  diligence  for  the  city  under  his  direction 
in  the  performance  of  duties  indicated  by  the  titles   of  their  several 
positions. 
That  such  time  is  correctly  summarized  from  a  time  record  on  file  show- 
ing the  kind  and  exact  time  of  service  of  said  persons. 
That  such  persons  have  not,  during  the  period  covered  by  the  summary, 
been  assigned  to  the  duties  of  any  other  position  except  as  otherwise 
specifically  stated.  v 

That    the    services    of    said    persons    were    necessary    during    the    period 
covered   by   the    summary   for   the    performance    of   the   work   of   the 
department   in   his   charge. 
That   the   work    for   which    overtime    is    credited    was    ordered   by    proper 

authority  and  actually  performed. 
That    said    persons    are   justly    entitled    to    receive    the    salaries    or   yvages 

stated  on  the  summary. 
The  head  of  the  division  or  supervising  official  should  certify: 
That  the  persons  whose  names  appear  on  the  summary  were   employed 
under  his  supervision,  and  that  their  services  were  necessary  for  the 
proper  conduct  of  the  business  of  the  department. 
That  the  overtime  credited  on  the  summary  was  duly  authorized  and  was 
due    to    (the    reason    for    such    emergency    work    should    be    briefly 
stated.) 
That  the  distribution  of  the  charges  on  the   summary  under  the  specific 
appropriation  or  fund  accounts  is  correct  and  in  accordance  with  the 
authorizations. 
The   head   of  the   bureau   or   other  administrative    official   should   certifv: 


3.-Q  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 

That  the  certificates  of  the  person  directly  in  charge  of  employees  and 
of  the  head  of  the  division  or  other  supervising  official  have  been 
verified  by  him  in  each  and  every  particular. 

The  head  of  the  department  should  certify: 

That  upon  the  foregoing  certificates  made  by  persons  designated  by  him 
to  make  the  same,  whose  signatures  are  known  to  him  to  be  genuine,, 
and  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge,  information  and  belief,  the  sum- 
mary is  correct. 

Tli at  each  person  named  on  the  summary  was  duly  elected,  appointed  or 
promoted  to  the  position  indicated. 

That  the  positions  and  salaries  of  such  persons  have  been  properly 
established    in    accordance    with    legal    requirements. 

SYSTEM  OF  PAYING  CITY  EMPLOYEES  COULD   BE  IMPROVED 

It  has  been  the  practice  of  the  city  to  draw  individual  warrants  in  paying 
employees  on  a  salary  basis  and  to  pay  the  laboring  force  by  means  of  cash 
in  pay  envelopes.  The  irregular  period  covered  in  the  payment  of  laborers 
and  the  delay  in  paying  them  is  quite  unnecessary.  All  employees  should 
be  paid  semi-monthly  and  within  two  or  three  days  of  the  end  of  the  half- 
month. 

The  drawing  of  individual  warrants  for  the  payment  of  salaries  causes 
much  needless  work,  as  each  warrant  has  to  be  separately  entered  and 
registered.  It  is  recommended  that  only  two  warrants  be  drawn,  one  for 
all  city  employees'  salaries  and  wages  and  one  for  all  water  employees', 
and  that  pay  checks  be  drawn  for  each  employee. 

The  payment  of  all  city  employees  by  means  of  pay  checks  would  un- 
doubtedly reduce  the  work  connected  with  the  payment  of  salaries  and  wages, 
especially  if  labor-saving  devices  such  as  the  addressograph  and  check 
writing  machines  are  employed. 

If  the  pay -check  method  were  adopted  it  would  obviate  the  handling  of 
cash  at  City  Hall  on  pay  days  and  would  also  save  the  time  of  the  paymaster 
going  around  to  the  headquarters  of  the  various  activities  in  the  field.  In 
addition  the  time  of  employees  now  wasted  in  assembling  at  headquarters 
to  meet  the  paymaster  would  be  saved  for  the  reason  that  the  foremen  in 
charge  of  the  various  groups  of  men  could  have  transmitted  to  him  the  pay- 
roll and  pay  checks  of  all  individuals  under  his  supervision.  The  foreman 
could  hand  the  checks  to  his  men  and  take  their  receipts  on  the  payroll 
sheets  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  a  day's  work  without  loss  of  time  to  the 
city,  returning  the  signed  payrolls  to  the  paymaster  in  due  course. 

The  use  of  pay  checks,  however,  is  open  to  one  more  or  less  serious  ob- 
jection; namely,  the  trouble  of  cashing  them.  As  many  city  employees  have 
no  banking  accounts  the  argument  is  advanced  frequently  that  they  will 
resort  to  a  saloon  to  cash  them.  This  is  partly  true,  though  the  investigation 
of  actual  conditions  in  other  cities  has  proved  that  this  is  not  carried  on 
to  so  great  an  extent  as  is  alleged.  In  the  course  of  time  the  city  pay-checks 
would  be  looked  upon  as  cash  in  every  business  establishment  and  would  be 
accepted  just  as  readily  by  the  baker  or  the  grocer  as  by  the  corner  s?1oon 
keeper. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 3^ 

SALARY  STANDARDIZATION 

NO  PROPER  BASIS  FOR  SALARIES  PAID 

There  is  need  for  standardization  of  salary  rates  throughout  the  depart- 
ments so  that  each  employee  in  the  city  service  will  be  paid  according  to 
service  rendered.  Salaries  once  fixed,  in  the  past,  have  usually  remained 
so  fixed  until  political  influences  have  accomplished  a  change.  The  persons 
having  charge  of  the  fixing  of  salaries  have  known  little  or  nothing  of  the 
services  required  of  employees  and  were,  therefore,  not  qualified  to  fix  the 
compensation  according  to  the  quality  and  quantity  of  work  to  be  performed. 
Such  conditions  are  largely  responsible  for  the  present  lack  of  ordination 
between  salaries  paid  and  services  rendered  which  tends  to  destroy  the 
incentive  of  city  employees  to  do  efficient  work. 

Notwithstanding  the  large  amount  of  money  involved,  the  number  of 
employees,  and  the  importance  of  the  work  they  are  assigned  to  perform,  no 
definite  basis  has  been  adopted  for  determining  the  rates  of  salary  which 
should  be  paid.  That  the  city's  employees  are  not  paid  according  to  the 
value  of  services  rendered  is  evident.  Some  are  paid  too  much,  and  some 
not  enough.  The  fact  that  employees  receiving  a  high  salary  may  be  per- 
forming a  minimum  of  work  and  still  continue  to  receive  promotion  from 
year  to  year  is  discoujraging  to  employees  who  work  continuously  and  well, 
but  receive  no  promotion  for  merit  shown.  Under  such  conditions  ambition 
is  soon  lost,  Almost  any  of  the  city  departments  may  be  used  for  purposes 
of  illustration.  Take,  for  instance,  the  remuneration  of  the  city  treasurer, 
which  is  approximately  four  times  that  of  any  other  city  official,  and  yet 
the  duties  of  the  city  treasurer  in  Reading,  as  in  most  other  cities,  are 
probably  less  arduous  than  those  of  any  other  official. 

The  granting  of  increases  irrespective  of  individual  efficiency  is  as  bad 
as  leaving  the  position  at  the  present  various  rates  of  compensation.  In 
neither  case  is  there  standardization  of  salaries. 

HOW  SALARIES  MAY  BE  STANDARDIZED 

To  standardize  salaries  and  remove  existing  defects,  the  following  steps 
should  be  taken: 

i.  A  definite  classification  should  be  made  of  all  positions,  based  on  an 
independent  investigation  of  the  duties  actually  performed  by  each 
employee. 

2.  A  definite  scale  of  salary  rates  should  be  worked  out,  based  upon  the 

nature  of  the  duties   of  each  position. 

3.  All  titles   should  be   readjusted  to  conform  to  actual   conditions. 

4.  The  classification  of  positions,  rates  of  compensation  and  revised  titles 

thus  determined  upon  should  be  adopted  as  standard  by  council. 

5-  Certain  factors  should  be  decided  upon  for  efficiency  ratings  in  each 
bureau,  adopted  as  standard,  and  monthly  reports  of  such  ratings 
should  be  transmitted  by  each  bureau  head  to  a  committee,  formally 
authorized  and  established  to  supervise  such  matters. 

6.  All  promotions  or  changes  in  salary  rates  should  be  based  on  efficiency 
records  compiled  from  such  monthly  reports  and  be  made  in  ac- 
cordance   with    the    standard    scale    of    salarv. 


332  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


The  accomplishment  of  the  above  would  secure  far  greater  service  returns 
for  the  many  thousands  of  dollars  disbursed  as  salaries  to  city  employees. 
By  affording  an  incentive  to  honest  effort,  the  city  would  be  able  to  offer 
a  career  to  those  contemplating  public  service  instead  of  merely  offering 
them  a  temporary  "city  job"  as  at  present.  Moreover,  it  would  place  Reading 
in  the  same  rank  with  New  York,  Chicago,  Pittsburgh,  Milwaukee,  and  many 
other  progressive  cities  which  have  completed  or  are  now  engaged  upon 
salary  standardization. 

SALARIES  SHOULD  BE  ADJUSTED  ONLY  ONCE  A  YEAR 

The  best  time  to  consider  salary  adjustments  is  when  the  program  of 
work  and  expenditure  for  the  ensuing  year  is  under  consideration.  This  is 
at  budget-making  time.  It  is,  therefore,  recommended  that  all  salary  ques- 
tions be  considered  but  once  a  year,  when  the  budget  is  being  prepared,  in 
order  that  department  heads  may  not  be  under  constant  pressure  from 
employees  seeking  opportunities  to  obtain  increases  and  that  council  may 
be  in  a  position  to  consider  the  salary  of  each  employee  with  reference  to  the 
salaries  of  all  other  employees.  A  definite  plan  of  compensation  should  be 
established. 

EMPLOYEES'  TITLES  ARE  MISLEADING 

Not  only  are  no  real  efficient  records  maintained,  but  there  is  absolutely 
no  standardization  of  titles.  The  latter  are  almost  as  diverse  as  the  individual 
employees.  Some  of  the  titles  held  by  employees  are  misleading  in  that  the 
nature  of  the  service  they  render  does  not  correspond  with  their  titles. 

DISCRIMINATION  IN  THE  PAYMENT  OF  LABORERS  IS  MARKED 

Notwithstanding  an  existing  ordinance  under  which  every  laborer  working 
for  the  city  is  entitled  to  be  paid  25  cents  per  hour,  there  are  many  em- 
ployees doing  laborers'  work  who  do  not  receive  this  rate  of  pay.  Most  of 
these  are  in  the  water  department,  where  certain  of  the  laborers  are  paid 
only  \jl/2  cents  per  hour,  while  oilers  and  firemen  attached  to  the  Maiden 
Creek  Station  are  paid  20  cents  per  hour.  The  fact  that  some  of  these 
men  are  required  to  work  12  hours  a  day  is  no  reason  why  their  pay  should 
be  reduced  so  as  to  keep  it  about  equal  to  that  of  men  working  ia  hours 
a  day  at  a  higher  rate  of  pay.  The  injustice  of  such  methods  is  further 
marked  by  the  fact  that  all  the  temporary  labor  hired  by  the  city  is  paid  for 
at  the  rate  of  25  cents  per  hour.  Surely  the  men  who  are  rendering  suffi- 
ciently good  service  to  warrant  their  retention  on  the  city's  payroll  are 
worthy  of  pay  equal  to  that  granted  to  temporary  employees. 


CIVIL  SERVICE 

ALL  CITY   EMPLOYEES   SHOULD   BE   SUBJECT  TO   CIVIL 
SERVICE  REGULATIONS. 

The   need    for   civil    service   tests    for    clerical    positions    is    just    as    great 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 333 

as  it  is  in  respect  to  positions  in  the  police*  fire  and  other  bureaus.  It 
becomes  more  than  ever  desirable,  it  the  proposed  new  system  of  account- 
ing is  to  be  adopted  and  efficiently  operated.  Men  cannot  be  picked  up 
at  any  time  and  placed  in  charge  of  technical  accounting  work  requiring 
considerable  training.  This  training  can  best  be  obtained  by  bringing  in 
new  men  and  placing  them  in  the  junior  positions  from  which,  as  they 
acquire  knowledge  and  experience,  they  can  be  promoted  to  more  responsible 
work.  Such  procedure,  however,  cannot  be  carried  out  under  any  system 
of  political  spoils  To  get  the  right  type  of  men  to  fill  these  positions  it 
is  necessary  that  there  be  some  security  in  their  tenure  of  office.  The  lack 
of  training  is  apparent  on  every  hand.  Matty  of  the  men  holding  positions 
under  city  government  are  untrained  for  the  work  they  are  performing, 
with  the  result  that  few  of  them  are  interested  in  their  work  and  practi- 
cally all  of  them  lack  ambition.  Such  conditions  are  only  to  be  expected 
when  it  is  considered  that  they  never  know  from  day  to  day  when  their 
resignations  may  be  called  for  and  their  positions  rilled  by  other  encumbents. 
If  all  applicants  for  positions  were  examined  as  to  their  fitness  for  the 
office  which  they  sought,  many  of  the  misfits  now  apparent  could  be  obvi- 
ated and  the  services  rendered  to  the  city  would  be  improved  in  every  way. 
Once,  however,  a  man  is  obtained  who  is  fitted  for  the  position,  there  is 
no  reason  why  he  should  not  be  retained  in  office  during  good  behavior. 
Proper  civil  service  regulations  would  effect  this  result.  Every  employee 
should  be  subject  to  removal  on  charges  made  in  writing  and  proven. 

Reading  might  well  follow  the  plan  now  in  operation  in  Philadelphia, 
where  the  civil  service  commission,  after  determining  as  far  as  possible, 
the  fitness  of  candidates  by  written  examinations,  sends  those  who  have 
qualified  to  a  number  of  business  men  to  be  interviewed  by  them.  The 
latter  then  report  to  the  commission  .their  impression  as  to  character,  per- 
sonality and  general  fitness.  Every  business  man  knows  that  he  would 
never  undertake  to  appoint  even  a  clerk  with  only  a  written  examination 
as  a  basis. 

APPOINTING  EMPLOYEES   FOR   A   TERM   OF   YEARS   NOT 
ALWAYS  GOOD   POLICY. 

The  wisdom  of  Council  in  creating  an  office  and  then  appointing  an 
incumbent,  often  without  proper  qualifications  for  the  position,  for  a  period 
of  several  years,  in  many  cases  beyond  its  own  administrative  term,  does 
not  appear  to  be  fair  to  the  succeeding  administration.  It  is  suggested  that, 
after  a  position  is  established,  the  incumbent,  for  the  payment  of  whose 
salary  provision  is  made  in  the  annual  budget,  should  be  carried  on  the 
payroll  only  for  the  period  covered  by  such  budget,  that  is,  from  year  to 
year.  Or,  in  other  words,  the  inclusion  of  compensation  for  employees 
in  the  annual  budget  should  automatically  carry  them  over  from  one  fiscal 
period  to  another  subject  to  good  behavior  and  efficient  work.  Civil  ser- 
vice  reform   will  protect  the   civil   servant. 


334  DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 


MISCELLANEOUS 

ANNUAL  REPORTS  NEED   STANDARDIZATION. 

The  last  published  annual  reports  of  the  several  departments  contain 
much  unimportant  detail.  On  the  other  hand  they  fail  to  disclose  much 
information  which  should  be  available,  if  the  value  and  effectiveness  of  the 
work  and  services  rendered  by  the  various  units  of  city  government  are  to 
be  properly  measured. 

The  statement  showing  the  quantity  and  kind  of  work  performed  and 
the  cost  thereof  are  not  accurate  nor  can  they  be  until  such  time  as  proper 
methods  of  apportioning  the  cost  of  labor,  material,  supplies  and  equipment 
are  installed  and  operated  efficiently. 

It  is  suggested  that  the  next  annual  report  issued  be  carefully  edited 
and  that  much  of  the  minor  detail  contained  in  previous  reports  be  elimina- 
ted. If  this  pruning  process  is  properly  applied,  it  should  be  possible  to 
publish  a  city  year  book  containing  the  reports  of  every  department  and 
all  other  valuable  data  relating  to  the  city  and  its  government  in  one  vol- 
ume of  handy  size. 

The  reports  of  the  water  and  other  operating  departments  especially 
need  pruning.  There  are  sheets  and  sheets  of  tables  which  in  many  cases 
could  be  condensed  to  one  statement  and  become  far  more  enlightening 
in  the  process. 

However,  until  the  records  in  each  department  are  revised  and  proper 
expense  and  cost  accounting  systems  installed,  the  preparation  of  accurate, 
effective  and  informing  reports  and  statistics  is  impossible.  The  reports 
now  issued  have  no  underlying  basis  of  fact  and  proper  reports  and  ac- 
counts cannot  be  produced  until  this  information  is  first  established. 

If  these  suggestions  are  adopted  it  should  be  possible  to  reduce  the 
cost  of  printing  the  annual  reports  of  the  various  departments,  especially 
if  care  is  taken  to  order  only  sufficient  copies  to  meet  actual  needs.  In 
the  past  there  has  been  a  considerable  surplus  of  reports  which  have  been 
wasted. 

The  cost  of  binding  the  annual  reports  should  also  be  given  serious 
consideration.  Much  money  is  now  wasted  on  expensive  and  unnecessary 
binding. 

ADVERTISING  COSTS  EXCESSIVE  AND  UNNECESSARY. 

The  present  method  of  inserting  notices  as  to  the  collection  of  taxes  in 
all  newspapers  every  day  for  three  consecutive  months  costs  between  $300 
and  $400.  Similar  notices  in  regard  to  water  rents  are  inserted  in  all  news- 
papers every  day  for  one  month  each  half  year.  This  costs  at  least  another 
$200.  It  may  be  advisable  to  advertise  the  fact  that  taxes  and  water  rents 
are  due  and  payable,  but  it  does  not  seem  necessary  to  continue  this  for 
so  lengthy  a  consecutive  period.  At  least  $400  a  year  might  be  saved  if 
this  matter  were  intelligently  handled. 

A  BUREAU  OF  INFORMATION  AND   COMPLAINTS  SHOULD 
BE  ESTABLISHED.     . 

A  bureau  of  information  and  complaints  is  needed  at  City  Hall  for  the 


DEPARTMENT  OF  ACCOUNTS  AND  FINANCE 335 

convenience  of  the  public  and  to  facilitate  the  giving  out  of  general  informa- 
tion relating  to  the  cicy's  affairs.  It  could  be  made  also  a  central  point 
for  the  receipt  and  disposition  of  complaints.  Under  existing  conditions 
this  might  logically  form  part  of  the  City  Clerk's  office  where  such  matters 
could  be  handled  fairly  easily  owing  to  the  not  very  onerous  duties  of  the 
City  Clerk  under  the  new  commission  form  of  government.  It  is  urged 
that  the  establishment  of  such  a  bureau  should  be  given  the  fullest  possible 
publicity  through  the  newspapers  in  order  that  citizens  may  be  informed 
of  the  facilities  at  their  disposal.  Similar  bureaus  in  other  cities  have  been 
the  means  of  smoothing  out  many  difficulties  and  points  of  friction  between 
citizens  and  city  officers. 

OFFICE  ARRANGEMENT  AND  EQUIPMENT  COULD  BE  CON- 
SIDERABLY IMPROVED. 

Office  arrangement  whereby  the  City  Controller  and  his  assistant  have 
to  work  in  the  darkest  of  all  the  offices  in  City  Hall  should  be  remedied  at 
once.  Accounting  work  involves  considerable  eye-strain  even  under  the 
best  conditions,  and  to  expect  efficient  work  where  the  accounting  force 
has  to  work  by  artificial  light  all  the  time  is  to  seek  disappointment.  The 
Bureau  of  Accounts  and  the  controller's  office  should  be  moved  over  to 
the  south  side  of  the  building,  and  the  offices  now  occupied  by  them  should 
be  used  by  other  officials  whose  duties  keep  them  away  from  City  Hall 
most  of  their  time. 

In  nearly  all  the  offices  there  is  a  lack  of  sufficient  and  efficient  equip- 
ment. In  the  office  of  the  Water  Clerk  there  is  an  addressograph  and  an 
adding  machine,  both  of  which  are  several  years  old.  If  efficient  systems 
of  accounting  control  are  to  be  installed  and  the  water  office  is  to  become 
part  of  the  proposed  bureau  of  revenue  control,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
improve  this  equipment.  In  any  event,  motors  should  be  installed  so  that 
the  machines  could  be  run  by  electricity  instead  of  by  hand. 

If  the  new  systems  of  revenue  control  are  installed,  the  purchase  of  a 
large  number  of  card  and  other  index  files  will  be  necessary.  It  is  suggested 
that  all  such  equipment  to  be  purchased  should  be  of  steel  and  of  uniform 
pattern  so  that  when  the  new  City  Hall  materializes  this  furniture  will  pre- 
sent a  uniform  and  up-to-date  business  appearance  and  can  be  used  in  the 
proposed  new  building. 

Proper  facilities  for  filing  papers  should  be  provided  instead  of  the 
present  loose  methods  of  keeping  papers  in  dozens  of  cupboards  and  drawers 
where  they  can  seldom  be  found  when  required.  If  this  suggestion  is  car- 
ried out  and  steel  files  are  purchased  gradually,  Reading  ultimately  may 
have  a  central  filing  system  of  which  it  may  be  proud. 


Weiler's  Printing  House,    <»    440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


PAMPHLET  NUMBER  TEN 


READING,      PENNSYLVANIA 


Report  on  a  Survey 

of  the 

BOARD  OF  EDUCATION 


Prepared  for 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Reading 

by  the 

New  York  Bureau  of  Municipal  Research 

APRIL,  1914 
REVIEWED.  JANUARY  1915 


10  CENTS 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Summary   of  Criticisms   and   Constructive    Suggestions 339-342 

Criticisms   and    Constructive   Suggestions   on   Administration,  'Main- 
tenance and  Records 343-346 

Educational    Administration    and    Records 346-358 

Care  of  Buildings 358-359 

Financial  Records 359-367 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION— SUMMARY.  339 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION 


SUMMARY  OF  CRITICISMS  AND 
CONSTRUCTIVE  SUGGESTIONS 


GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION. 

The  small  school  board  of  nine  members  tends  towards  prompt  dispatch 
of  business,  minimized  routine  and  increased  activity  by  individual  members. 

The  committee  system  makes  it  possible  for  each  director  to  participate 
in  at  least  two  varieties  of  school  work. 

The  organization  of  the  board  makes  special  provision  for  enforcing 
t'he  compulsory  attendance  law  and  for  the  medical  inspection  of  school 
children. 

The  difference  in  educational  needs  of  boys  and  girls  is  recognized  in 
the  organization  of  separate  high  schools. 

The  provision  of  separate  supervisors  for  lower  and  upper  grades  is  an 
effective  means  of  meeting  the  peculiar  problems  presented  by  the  primary 
and  advanced  grades  of  the  school  course. 

Special  provision  is  made  for  the  supervision  of  instruction  in  music, 
drawing,  manual  training,  household  arts,  physical  culture  and  for  giving 
attention  to  the  needs  of  pupils  who  are  not  normal. 

Small  libraries  in  all  grade-rooms  and  well  organized  high  school  libra- 
ries make  it  possible  for  all  pupils  to  extend  the  range  of  their  reading 
interest  beyond  the  text-book  covers. 

EDUCATIONAL  ADMINISTRATION. 

There  is  opportunity  for  improving  the  method  of  handling  corre- 
spondence, office  routine,  particularly  clerical  matters,  and  requests  for 
information  which  needlessly  interrupt  the  work  of  office  heads  and  clerks. 

A  more  efficient  clerical  organization  is  needed  to  deal  with  detail 
matters  and  relieve  higher  officials. 

Provision  is  made  for  keeping  Reading's  school  authorities  currently 
informed  as  to  the  progress  of  events  and  the  trend  of  discussion  in 
educational  matters  throughout  the  country  in  that  one  of  the  supervisors 
is  delegated  to  the  task  of  scanning  educational  journals  and  marking 
articles  which  are  submitted  to  the  superintendent  for  distribution  among 
the  supervisory  and  teaching  staff.  The  further  services  of  a  clipping  bureau 
and  the  assignment  of  this  work  to  a  clerk  would  improve  this  important 
phase  of  school  administration. 

The  teachers  of  Reading  fail  to  appreciate  by  sufficient  use  the  excellent 
library  provided  for  them  in  the  administration  building. 

There  is  need  of  a  more  systematic  organization  and  more  efficient 
clerical    service    in    performing    all    functions    relating    to    the    gathering    of 


34o BOARD  OF  EDUCATION— SUMMARY.       

statistics  from  the  schools,  assembling  and  presenting  statistics  to  the  school 
board  and  superintendent  and  in  making  it  possible  for  the  school  authori- 
ties to  study  and  use  statistics  to  the  further  advantage  of  the  schools. 

Information  concerning  the  schools  is  gathered  from  time  to  time  as 
requests  are  received,  thus  needlessly  interrupting  the  regular  work  of 
teachers.  All  necessary  data  should  be  assembled  systematically  at  the  be- 
ginning or  end  of  the  school  year  or  term  and  filed  for  use  as  needed. 

As  an  important  industrial  centre,  with  many  of  its  citizens  employed 
in  knitting  and  in  the  iron  and  steel  mills,  Reading  does  not  provide,  as 
many  cities  do,  sufficient  vocational  schools,  departments  and  part-time  trade 
instruction  for  employees  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  local  opportunity. 
A  vocational  council  has  recently  been  appointed  and  is  working  along  the 
lines  of  studying  pupils'  vocational  aptitudes  and  encouraging  those  who 
have  left  day-school  to  attend  night-school. 

EDUCATIONAL  RECORDS. 

For  want  of  sufficient  efficiency  records  there  is  a  lack  of  definite  data 
to  support  supervisors'  statements  of  opinion  regarding  the  quality  of  teach- 
ing done  in  the  schools. 

Because  of  lack  of  definite  records  of  teachers'  work,  opportunities  are 
lost  of  bringing  the  methods  and  results  of  conspicuously  successful  teachers 
to  the  attention  of  the  weaker  members  of  the  staff;  this  now  depends  upon 
the  personal  suggestion  of  the  superintendent. 

Failure  to  require  detailed  reports  and  records  of  teachers'  visits  to  other 
schools  prevents  the  results  of  observation  and  experience  of  visitors  from 
reaching  the  entire  force. 

Through  teachers'  councils  and  a  principals'  council  opportunity  is  afforded 
for  bringing  complaints  and  suggestions  to  the  attention  of  the  superintendent. 
-  An  annual  suggestion  list  is  received  by  the  superintendent  from  each 
teacher;  this  list  is,  for  the  most  part,  merely  an  enumeration  of  supplies  and 
books  wanted  with  only  an  occasional  suggestion  for  the  betterment  of 
existing  conditions;  the  ratio  of  the  supply  and  book  requests  to  actual  sug- 
gestions could  be  reversed  in  order  to  make  this  list  correspond  to  its  name. 

Teachers'  class  registers,  as  supplied  by  the  state,  require  needless  re- 
writing of  teachers'  names  and  clerical  work;  the  forms  are  both  incomplete 
as  to  information  supplied  and  are  unnecessarily  cumbersome;  the  state 
authorities  require  certain  forms  which  the  local  school  authorities  agree 
should  be  simplified. 

The  practice  of  indicating  an  attendance  item  by  leaving  a  blank  space  in 
the  register,  an  antiquated  .custom  suggested  by  the  State  Department,  leads 
to  confusion  and  inaccuracy  in  attendance  statistics. 

At  the  time  of  the  survey  the  method  of  transferring  attendance  data 
from  school  reports  to  central  office  record  books  required  unnecessary  work; 
the  superintendent  discarded  the  large  office  record  book  about  November, 
1914,  substituting  for  it  separate  sheets  of  smaller  and  more  handy  size. 

In  the  spring  of  1914  the  superintendent  inaugurated  a  vocational  council 
which  includes  in  its  plan  the  prevention  of  premature  withdrawal  from  school; 
this  is  a  step  towards  a  much-needed  campaign  against  losses  from  school. 

Reports  as  to  the  number  of  pupils  who  are  too  old,  too  young,  or  of 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION— SUMMARY. 341 

normal  age  for  their  respective  grades  fail  to  represent  actual  facts.  Over 
age  should  not  be  regarded  as  synonymous  with  retardation  (as  in  the  case 
of  many  cities  including  Reading),  and  should  not  be  tabulated  without 
reference  to  the  length  of  time  pupils  have  been  in  school,  to  the  previous 
failures  of  pupils  still  in  school  and  to  the  pupils  who  have  left  school. 

Teachers  have  no  adequate  desk  room  or  filing  cabinets  for  keeping 
record  books  and  cards;  the  superintendent  contemplates  arranging  for 
special  spaces  and  drawers  in  desks  to  effect  this  improvement. 

CARE  OF  BUILDINGS 

At  the  time  of  the  survey:  In  January,   1915: 

Dry     cloths,     instead     of    oiled     or       Oiled  clothes  used  in  dusting, 
dampened    clothes    were    used    in       All  have  been  removed  during  summer 
dusting.  of  1914. 

Sweeping  mixtures  are  not  used  in       Installed  in  all  schools  during  summer 
most   of  the   elementary   schools.  of  1914. 

Antiquated    flushing    devices    were       Remedial   experiments   in   progress   in 
used  in  some  toilets.  all  buildings. 

Sanitary    drinking    fountains    provi- 
ded only  in  newer  buildings. 

Classroom  temperatures  noted  rang- 
ing from  65  to  80  degrees. 


FINANCIAL  RECORDS. 

The  value  of  the  budget  estimates  would  be  increased  if  tlie  estimates 
for  salaries  and  for  general  expenses  were  presented  with  the  same  amount 
of  detailed  supporting  data  as  are  the  estimates  for  repairs  and  supplies. 

Estimates  should  show  the  nature  of  the  contemplated  service,  together 
with  the  cost  of  like  or  similar  services  in  previous  years. 

Payroll  procedure  could  be  much  facilitated  by  the  introduction  of  labor- 
saving  mechanical  devices  and  other  improvements  in  the  secretary's  office. 

Collection  of  school  taxes  with  other  municipal  taxes  would  result  in 
a   considerable    reduction   of   expenses. 

A  record  of  current  prices  kept  by  the  secretary  would  result  in  econo- 
mies in  the  purchase  of  supplies. 

The  forms  of  requisitions  now  in  use  puts  a  premium  on  the  purchase 
and  withdrawal  of  supplies  not  urgently  needed.  A  purchasing  system  simi- 
lar to  that  in  use  by  the  City  of  Reading  is  recommended. 


342 BOARD  OF  EDUCATION— SUMMARY. 

The  installation  of  a  proper  card  record  of  supplies  used  in  each  school 
would  do  away  with  two  sets  of  books  now  kept  by  the  superintendent  of 
supplies. 

The  accounts  kept  by  the  secretary  should  be  classified  (i)  on  a  func- 
tional basis,  showing  cost  of  administration,  supervision,  instruction,  opera- 
tion, maintenance  and  capital  acquisition;  and  (2)  by  schools  so  as  to  show 
the  cost  of  running  each  school. 

Established  classifications  should  be  followed  in  practice. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  343 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION 


CRITICISMS   AND   CONSTRUCTIVE    SUGGESTIONS 

ON  ADMINISTRATION,  MAINTENANCE 

AND  RECORDS 


GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION 

THE  BOARD  OF  SCHOOL  DIRECTORS. 

Reading's  public  school  system  is  under  the  control  of  a  board  of  school 
directors  of  nine  members,  constituting  the  board  of  education.     There  are 
four  standing  committees,  each  of  three  members,  as  follows: 
Teachers  and  instruction 
Supplies 

Property   and   sanitation 
Finances  and  accounts 

At  the  head  of  the  work  of  instruction  is  a  superintendent  of  schools 
who  is  assisted  by  a  general  supervisor  and  a  corps  of  seven  supervisors. 
One  oversees  the  work  of  teachers  in  the  lower  grades,  one  is  responsible 
for  the  work  of  the  upper  grade  teachers,  while  the  others  have  direct  charge 
of  music,  drawing  and  writing,  practical  arts,  cooking  and  physical  education. 

The  two  high  schools  and  the  new  Douglass  and  Weiser  elementary 
school  each  have  a  principal  responsible  to  the  superintendent  of  schools. 
In  the  44  other  elementary  schools,  one  teacher  designated  as  "principal" 
is  nominally  in  charge  but  without  relief  from  teaching. 

A  normal  training  school  provides  for  the  special  training  of  candidates 
for   teaching   positions. 

The  enforcement  of  the  compulsory  attendance  law  is  the  duty  of  an 
attendance  officer. 

A  medical  inspector,  assisted  by  three  assistant  inspectors  and  four 
nurses,  has  the  task  of  detecting  and  treating  the  physical  defects  of  school 
children. 

A  clerk  directly  responsible  to  the  superintendent  of  schools  works  in 
all  the  offices  in  the  administration  building.  He  prepares  regular  and 
special  reports  for  presentation  at  board  meetings;  gat'hers  information 
for  the  superintendent  of  schools;  sends  out  notices  from  the  superintendent 
to  the  schools;  assembles  special  information  in  answer  to  written  requests; 
performs  stenographic  services;  receives  callers,  and  attends  to  the  tele- 
phone. The  general  supervisor  and  other  supervisors  assist  in  this  general 
clerical  work. 

While  the  educational  affairs  are  attended  to  by  the  superintendent  of 
schools  and  the  officers  responsible  to  him,  business  matters  are  handled 
by  officers  directly  responsible  to  the  board,  although  the  superintendent 
participates   actively  in   all  business   matters. 


344 BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  care  of  buildings  and  the  purchase  of  buildings,  equipment  and  fuel 
is  under  the  direction  of  a  superintendent  of  buildings,  who  is  responsible 
for  the  work  of  fifty-six  janitors. 

The  secretary  keeps  the  accounts,  acts  as  purchasing  agent,  and  serves 
as  clerk  to  the  committee  on  finance  and  accounts  and  the  committee  on 
property  and  sanitation.  He  is  assisted  by  a  stenographer  who  is  also  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  keeping  attendance  reports. 

A  woman  superintendent  of  supplies  is  responsible  for  the  care  and 
distribution  of   supplies. 

The  duties  of  the  treasurer  and  of  the  tax  receiver  are  sufficiently 
indicated  by  their   titles. 

ADMINISTRATION  ORGANIZATION  HAS  FEATURES  MAKING 
FOR  EFFICIENCY. 

The  small  board  facilitates  school  administration  and  lessens  the  chances 
for  cumbrous  routine.  It  is  easier  to  call  a  meeting  of  nine  men  than 
to  assemble  twenty  or  more.  Clerical  work  is  more  simple  and  economical 
when  notices  and  correspondence  can  be  sent  to  a  smaller  number  of 
persons. 

The  assignments  to  committees  are  such  that  each  member  serves  on 
two  of  the  four  committees.  This  tends  to  prevent  a  directors  experience 
and  knowledge  being  limited  to  a  single  phase  of  school  work. 

By  means  of  an  attendance  officer,  aided  by  a  system  of  card  records, 
special  administrative  provision  is  made  for  the  enforcement  of  the  com- 
pulsory attendance  law. 

By  means  of  a  separately  organized  laboratory  and  medical  staff  special 
administrative  provision  is  made  for  the  medical  inspection  of  school  chil- 
dren. 

The  organization  of  the  high  schools  provides  a  system  of  secondary 
education  distinctly  specialized  and  separate  from  the  grammar  school 
sj'stem. 

A  recognition  of  the  divergent  needs  of  boys  and  girls  is  found  in  the 
organization  of  the  high  schools  into  entirely  separate  institutions  for 
boys  and  girls. 

Reading's  policy  of  separate  high  schools  is  not  here  advocated  as  the 
only  means  of  meeting  this  problem  or  even  as  the  best  way  to  solve  it. 
The  final  solution  of  'high  school  co-education  for  Reading  is  clearly  beyond 
the  province  of  this  report. 

Separate  supervisors  are  provided  for  primary  and  upper  grade  work. 
This  enables  each  supervisor  to  keep  in  more  intimate  touch  with  her 
particular  problem  than  is  possible  in  organizations  in  which  the  responsi- 
bilities of  one  supervisor  are  distributed  over  all  grades. 

Special  supervisors  are  provided  for  music,  drawing,  manual  training, 
household  arts  and  physical  culture.  This  provision  tends  to  keep  teachers 
up  to  the  mark  in  subjects  easily  neglected.  Provision  has  been  made  for 
giving  special  attention  to  children  who  are  mentally  defective  or  otherwise 
not  normal.  The  regular  teacher  is  thus  relieved  of  responsibility  for  such 
pupils  as  are  a  hindrance  to  the  rest  of  the  class,  and  tliey  are  placed  where 
their  peculiar  needs  can  be  served  most  effectively. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.         545 

Elementary  school  rooms  are  provided  with  reference  books  for  sup- 
plementary reading.  Eighth  grade  rooms  are  equipped  with  revolving 
bookcases.  Both  high  schools  have  well  organized  libraries,  with  a  modern 
cataloging    system. 

With  respect  to  the  features  enumerated  above,  the  organization  of  the 
Reading  school  system  as  such  is  adequate.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
adequate  organization  does  not  necessarily  insure  adequate  results.  For 
-example,  while  this  report  comments  favorably  upon  the  fact  that  special 
classes  have  been  provided,  it  expresses  no  opinion  as  to  whether  those 
classes  are  properly  conducted  or  whether  they  produce  the  desired  results. 
To  determine  t'he  efficiency  of  this  work,  a  survey  of  the  teaching  itself 
would  be  necessary. 

The  present  organization  of  Reading's  school  system  has  its  short- 
comings as  well  as  its  commendable  features.  Attention  is  invited  to  con- 
sideration of  certain  particulars  wherein  there  is  opportunity  for  improve- 
ment. 

Visitors,  telephone  calls  and  letters  calling  for  information  constantly 
interrupt  office  heads  and  employees. 

Superintendents  of  schools  throughout  the  country,  interested  in  their 
own  problems,  are  in  the  habit  of  sending  questionaires  broadcast  over 
the  land  in  the  hope  of  receiving  a  sufficient  number  of  replies  to  enable 
them  to  draw  valid  conclusions.  The  usual  practice  of  any  superintendent 
receiving  such  a  questionaire  is  to  drop  his  regular  work,  look  up  the 
information  himself  and  send  it  away  on  the  original  question  sheet.  When 
another  request  for  the  same  information  comes  in  sometime  later  from 
some  other  superintendent,  it  becomes  necessary  to  repeat  the  performance. 

Such  is  the  case  in  Reading.  In  addition  to  written  requests,  frequent 
telephoned  requests  and  callers  interrupt  the  regular  work  of  the  super- 
visors and  clerks  at  the  administration  building.  Nothing  prevents  callers, 
who  come  to  ask  for  trivial  information,  from  wandering  into  offices  and 
wasting  the  time  of  comparatively  high-salaried  officers.  The  entire  method 
of  handling  information  in  the  administration  building  should  be  put  upon 
a  businesslike  basis.  A  simple  system  of  recording  and  preserving  infor- 
mation collected  for  one  inquirer  should  be  installed,  so  as  to  accumulate 
data  from  which  answers  may  be  obtained  for  any  subsequent  requests. 
An  employee  should  be  stationed  to  receive  and  direct  callers,  so  as  to 
reduce  interruptions  and  intrusions  to  a  minimum.  The  spirit  in  which  this 
recommendation  is  made  gives  full  consideration  to  the  fact  that  every 
school  employee  should  be  at  the  service  of  any  parent,  taxpayer,  or  other 
citizen  who  is  interested  in  any  matter  affecting  the  public  schools.  The 
public  should  be  educated,  however,  through  the  press  and  by  circular  letters, 
to  an  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  it  is  to  their  interest  to  save  the  time  of 
the  public's  high-salaried   officers   from   petty  intrusions. 

A  special  clerk  should  be  provided  in  the  central  office  organization 
to  keep  the  school  authorities  currently  informed  as  to  educational  matters 
throughout  the  country. 

The  superintendent  of  schools  keeps  a  scrap  book  of  clippings  relating 
to  Reading  and  clippings  relating  to  board  meetings  are  preserved  in 
envelopes,  but  there  is  no  adequate  clipping  file  of  general  educational 
news.     Because  of  the  want  of  such  a  file  the  school  authorities  are  laboring 


34g BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

without  the  aid  of  a  vast  fund  of  educational  information  for  the  dissemina- 
tion of  which  several  of  the  country's  newspapers  are  publishing  special 
pages. 

The  superintendent  states  that  teachers  subscribe  to  educational  maga- 
zines on  the  average  of  one  and  one-third  periodicals  to  each  teacher;  also 
that  it  is  one  of  the  duties  of  one  of  the  supervisors  to  read  through  edu- 
cational magazines,  mark  articles  and  arrange  them  for  distribution  among 
teachers.  It  would  ,greatly  enhance  the  worth  of  what  is  described  as  the 
present  practice,  if  the  scanning  of  the  periodicals  could  be  done  by  a 
trained  clerk  instead  of  a  supervisor,  and  if  some  of  the  more  valuable 
articles  read  by  the  teachers  could  be  filed  at  the  central  offices  where  all 
might  benefit  from  the  observation  and  reading  of  the  teacher  who  hap- 
pened upon  something  valuable.  It  is  important  that  this  phase  of  school 
work  by  teachers  and  officers  alike  receive  the  greatest  possible  encour- 
agement in  order  that  they  may  have  the  benefit  of  the  latest  word  in 
country-wide   educational   movements. 

The  great  strides  taken  in  modern  educational  effort,  as  well  as  the 
extent  of  school  experimentation,  make  it  impossible  for  t'he  supervisors 
and  teachers  in  any  city  to  keep  informed  without  the  aid  supplied  by  those 
various  sources  of  information.  The  superintendent  states  that  board  mem- 
bers as  well  subscribe  to  these  educational  magazines.  With  this  beginning 
it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  give  Reading  the  sort  of  provision  for  as- 
sembling out-of-town  information  which  every  up-to-date  school  system 
should  have,  and  in  respect  to  which  Reading  is  at  the  present  time  far 
from  modern,  even  though  marked  articles  may  be  found  in  the  offices. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  superintendent  has  made  a  large  number  of 
surveys  on  special  branches  of  school  work,  which  have  been  printed  from 
time  to  time  and  distributed  locally  and  throughout  the  country.  Reading 
schools  in  consequence  have  received  frequent  comment  in  educational 
journals. 

TEACHERS'  LIBRARY. 

An  excellent  teachers'  library  is  maintained  at  the  administration  build- 
ing, but  the  value  of  this  library  would  be  greatly  increased  if  the  organiza- 
tion provided  an  attendant  at  such  times  as  teachers  are  free  to  use  a 
library.  At  present,  two  employees  state  that  the  teachers'  use  of  the 
library   amounts   to   practically   nothing. 


EDUCATIONAL  ADMINISTRATION  AND  RECORDS 

The  organization  of  the  work  of  gathering  information  from  schools 
is  inadequate. 

The  central  office  requires  information  from  teachers  for  reports  to 
the  superintendent  of  schools,  board  of  education  and  the  state  and  national 
bureaus  of  education.  Practically  all  the  information  necessary  for  these 
reports  could  be  furnished  at  the  beginning  of  the  term  by  means  of  a 
general  information  card  giving  the  information  about  a  pupil  customarily 
required  for  school  reports. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 347 

As  now  conducted,  the  work  of  gathering  information  from  schools  not 
only  imposes  an  unnecessary  burden  upon  teachers,  but  also  makes  needless 
work  for  supervisors  and  clerks  at  the  administration  building. 

RESPECTS  IN  WHICH  ADEQUACY  OR  INADEQUACY  OF  OR- 
GANIZATION IS  AN  OPEN  QUESTION. 

In  addition  to  the  instances  of  positive  adequacy  and  inadequacy  men- 
tioned above,  attention  is  invited  to  a  few  phases  of  Reading's  school 
organization,  where  a  more  detailed  investigation  would  be  required  to 
determine  definitely  whether  the  present  organization  is  adequate. 

ELEMENTARY  SCHOOL  PRINCIPALS. 

Each  elementary  school  is  under  the  direction  of  a  teacher  who  is 
nominally  the  principal.  These  teachers  are  not  charged  with  the  task  of 
going  from  room  to  room  throughout  the  school  day  to  inspect  the  work 
of  teachers  and  to  give  such  criticisms,  counsel  or  such  other  aid  as  may 
be  required.  Except  for  signing  certain  school  reports  and  receiving 
visitors,  "principals"  are  regular  teachers  who  devote  practically  all  of 
their  time  to  their  own  classes. 

For  the  number  of  teachers  in  Reading,  most  other  cities  would  em- 
ploy, in  addition  to  the  supervisors,  about  twenty  principals  as  the  admin- 
istrative heads  of  schools.  As  a  matter  of  organization  alone,  Reading 
might  be  regarded  as  having  an  inadequate  staff  to  look  after  the  efficiency 
of  teachers'  work.  But  this  is  by  no  means  certain,  since  in  other  cities 
principals  commonly  spend  a  large  share  of  their  time  in  clerical  work 
and  even  the  time  which  they  do  spend  in  the  classrooms  is  interrupted 
so  much  as  to  minimize  the  value  of  the  help  the  teachers  actually  receive. 
An  analysis  of  a  typical  "principal's"  time  program  shows  how  little  posi- 
tive help  is  given  to  the  teaching  staff. 

This  state  of  affairs  presents  an  interesting  problem,  which  may  be 
stated  as  follows:  Are  Reading's  teachers  doing  as  good  teaching  zvithoilt 
principals  as  teachers  elsewhere  are  doing  with  principals? 

This  can  only  be  determined  by  a  survey  of  the  actual  classroom  work 
of  a  majority  of  Reading's  teachers — an  investigation  not  undertaken  in 
the  survey  here  reported. 

CLERICAL  WORK  AT  ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING. 

Still  another  phase  of  the  organization  presents  a  problem  which  re- 
quires further  investigation  to  determine  whether  it  is  adequate  or  inad- 
equate. This  is  the  question  as  to  whether  the  present  corps  of  employees 
is  adequate  to  the  work  required.  During  the  examiner's  stay  in  the 
administration  building  it  appears  that  there  was  an  apparent  overburdening 
of  the  office  staff  of  the  superintendent  of  schools,  so  far  as  time  is  con- 
cerned. A  complete  analysis  of  all  office  work  should  determine  whether 
this  is  due  to  the  amount  of  work  required  or  to  the  manner  of  performing 
it.  The  work  of  the  board  of  education  should  also  be  analyzed  to  deter- 
mine   whether    too    much    of   the   time    of    the    directors    is    being    spent    on 


348  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


clerical  details  instead  of  on  the  larger  questions  of  administrative  policy. 
There  are  indications  of  inefficiency  in  the  clerical  and  supervising 
staff  which  should  deal  with  many  matters  that  now  occupy  the  time  and 
energy  of  the  superintendent  and  members  of  the  board.  This  condition 
calls  for  a  definite  and  a  more  adequate  organization  for  all  routine  work 
at  the  administration  building. 

READING  HIGH  SCHOOL  ALUMNAE  ALONE  ELIGIBLE  FOR 
APPOINTMENT  AS  TEACHERS. 

The  system  of  appointing  new  teachers  presents  another  interesting 
problem.  All  grade  teachers  must  be  graduates  of  the  Reading  Girls'  High 
School,  though  they  may  receive  their  professional  training  elsewhere. 
Whether  the  results  of  this  system  are  satisfactory  can  only  be  deter- 
mined by  a  survey  of  the  actual  teaching  work  done  by  Reading's  teachers 
in  the  classroom.  Whatever  the  situation,  the  board  and  the  superintendent 
of  schools  should  know  it.  This  is  an  additional  reason  for  keeping  records 
of  teachers'  efficiency,  which  are  detailed  and  complete  enough  to  be  of 
value. 

The  work  of  upper  and  lower  grade  teachers  should  be  studied  as  two 
separate  groups  to  determine  the  effect  of  selecting  upper  grade  teachers 
from  those  who  have  been  successful  in  the  lower  grades. 

MORE  COMPLETE  AND  DEFINITE  TEACHERS'  EFFICIENCY 
RECORDS  NEEDED. 

The  grade  supervisors  go  about  from  school  to  school  passing  judgment 
upon  the  work  of  teachers,  making  memoranda,  but  no  adequate  permanent 
records  as  to  the  results  of  their  observations.  This  means  that  the  question 
of  efficiency  of  the  entire  teaching  force  is  determined  largely  upon  the 
basis   of  the  unrecorded  opinions  of  the  supervisors. 

Teachers'  records  on  file  show  the  date  of  appointment  and  the  different 
schools  in  which  the  teachers  have  taught.  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact 
that  a  definite  record  of  the  work  of  each  teacher  is  necessary,  because  the 
entire  worth  of  a  public  school  system  hinges  upon  the  character  of  the 
teaching.  For,  if  it  is  excellent,  it  can  accomplish  results  in  spite  of  many 
handicaps;  but,  if  it  is  inefficient,  it  will  undo  all  that  can  be  done  by  the 
best  planned  organization,  the  most  alert  a^id  energetic  school  board  and 
the  most  complete  and  up-to-date  equipment. 

The  school  directors  and  superintendent  of  schools  are  without  sufficient 
information  as  to  what  kind  of  teaching  Reading's  teachers  are  doing  without 
principals  in  the  schools  and  what  different  results,  if  any,  are  accomplished 
through  principals  in  other  cities.  Items  of  information  contained  in  existing 
records  under  the  heading  "remarks,"  were  the  exception  rather  than  the 
rule  and  even  when  they  appeared  were  very  indefinite.  Such  as  these 
records  are,  the  superintendent  states  that  he  examines  them  once  each 
month.  If  a  record  of  teachers'  work  is  worthy  of  the  superintendent's  time 
each  month,  it  is  a  pity  not  to  have  such  a  record  contain  a  sufficient  amount 
of  definite  information  to  be  of  actual  use,  which  cannot  be  said  of  Reading's 
present  records. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 349 

Score  cards  of  teachers'  efficiency  should  be  used  by  supervisors  and  blank 
forms  should  be  installed  to  show  the  results  of  all  supervisory  visits  by  the 
general  and  other  supervisors.  Once  assembled,  all  these  criticisms  of 
teachers'  work  should  be  made  the  subject  of  a  half-yearly  examination  of 
the  entire  teaching  situation  by  the  superintendent  of  schools.  The  teachers 
would  learn  from  the  results  of  this  study  exactly  what  are  their  short- 
comings, for  the  criticisms  of  the  entire  term  and  of  the  whole  school  year 
should  be  placed  in  each  teacher's  hands  regularly  as  a  matter  of  current 
routine    record    procedure. 

One  of  the  supervisors  stated  that  the  defects  in  teaching  noted  in  the 
course  of  class-room  visitation  are  recorded  in  a  memorandum  book.  The 
supervisor  examines  these  books  before  a  teachers'  meeting  and  discusses  the 
more  important  forms.  Each  teacher  then  takes  such  admonitions  to  heart 
as  may  apply  in  her  case. 

In  order  to  secure  a  definite  idea  of  the  value  of  a  teacher's  service  the 
following  card  is  recommended  as  one  which  has  been  used  in  131  cities  in 
33  states  and  in  Newfoundland. 

FAVORABLE    COMMENT    ON    TEACHERS'    WORK. 

An  examination  of  this  card  will  demonstrate  that  it  is  a  constructive  aid 
to  the  teacher  and  supervisor  and  not  a  device  for  recording  adverse  criticism. 
In  fact,  the  comments  and  facts  resulting  from  any  systematic  record  of  the 
quality  of  teaching  would  by  no  means  yield  only  unfavorable  comment.  It 
is  important  that  the  work  of  teachers  who  are  conspicuously  successful  in 
certain  subjects  or  in  use  of  certain  methods,  be  made  a  matter  of  definite 
record.  No  such  special  record  is  kept;  and  without  it  countless  opportuni- 
ties to  help  struggling  teachers  by  example  as  well  as  precept  are  lost. 

Reading  teachers  should  be  classified  into  three  groups: 

1.  Conspicuously    successful. 

2.  Generally  satisfactory. 

3.  Unsatisfactory  teachers  constituting  special  problems  for  supervisors. 
A  special,  though  by  no  means  complicated  set  of  records,  should  be  kept 

of  the  work  of  each  class  of  teachers.     It  is  particularly  important  that  the 
work  of  successful  teachers  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  weaker  teachers. 

RECORDS   OF  TEACHERS'  VISITS  SHOULD   GIVE  TO   ALL  THE 
BENEFIT  OF  THE  EXPERIENCE  OF  ONE.. 

As  is  the  custom  in  all  progressive  city  school  systems,  teachers  have  the 
privilege  of  spending  one  or  more  days  of  the  school  year  in  classes  taught 
by  their  colleagues  in  the  same  city  or  in  neighboring  cities.  The  benefits  of 
this  practice  are  self-evident  to  all  alert  educators;  and  the  greatest  good 
resulting  from  such  visits  is  the  impression  or  inspiration  unconsciously 
received  by  the  visitor,  and  the  satisfaction  felt  by  the  hostess  at  having 
helped  a  fellow-member  of  the  profession.  It  is  also  clear  that  the  results  of 
such  visits  cannot  be  fully  expressed  in  the  form  of  any  mere  tabulation  and 
that  the  justification  of  the  time  spent  in  visiting  cannot  be  determined  by 
the  usual  formal  report  of  the  visitor.  It  is  equally  clear  that  in  the  course 
of  such  visits    observations   are   made,   methods   are   discovered,   books   and 


35Q  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

articles  of  professional  interest  are  mentioned,  and  numerous  facts  are  ascer- 
tained, all  of  which  would  be  as  valuable  to  the  other  teachers  as  to  the  one 
making  the  visit. 

The  teachers  and  principals  of  any  large  city  always  have  a  considerable 
number  of  important  facts  as  a  result  of  their  visits,  and  the  assembling  of 
this  information,  latent  in  the  memory  of  the  many  members  of  the  teaching 
force,  into  an  organized  statement  suited  to  administrative  purposes  will 
always  prove  sufficiently  valuable  to  justify  the  time  spent  in  the  procedure. 
Reading  teachers  make  no  detailed  reports  of  visits  and  thus  no  one  is 
helped  but  the  parties  concerned.  Blanks  should  be  devised  and  installed  to 
preserve  this  information,  the  value  of  which  cannot  be  overestimated.  Such 
records  show,  for  example,  in  one  city  that  163  teachers  saw  341  effective 
schemes  for  doing  45  different  sorts  of  school  work  as  follows: 

Methods  used  in  teaching  arithmetic 38 

Text-books  used   (name  of  author  and  title  given) 28 

Methods  used  in  obtaining  good  discipline 28 

Methods   used  in  teaching  reading 27 

Group    arrangement. 21 

Methods   used  in   teaching   spelling... 16 

Phonics     14 

Methods  used  in  helping  backward  children 12 

Methods  used  to  arouse  pupils'  interest , 12 

Good  methods  of  questioning 11 

Blackboard    work 10 

Methods  used  in  teaching  geography 10 

Means   of   promoting   parents'    interest 10 

Reviews     8 

Methods    of   presentation 8 

Preception    cards     8 

Foreign    classes 8 

Methods   used   in   teaching   grammar 7 

Methods    used   in    teaching   history 7 

Methods  used  in  teaching  music 7 

Small   chairs    for   younger   children 7 

Department    teaching. ( 6 

Individual   work    5 

Methods  used  in  teaching  drawing 4 

Shorter    hours . 3 

Recitations  while   children  remain  seated 3 

Trade    schools 3 

Various   observations    20 


Appointe< 

I 

Before    1880 

n% 

1880- 1 889 

9 

1 890- 1 899 

26 

1900- 1909 

29 

1910-1913 

25 

BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  35i 

TEACHERS'  TENURE  OF  OFFICE.. 

The  teachers  of  the  city  have  served  since  the  time  of  their  appointment, 
as  here  noted: 

No.  of  Teachers  Years   of   Service 

38  Over    33 

32  23-33 

92  13-23 

102  2-12 

88  0-3 

With  all  due  appreciation  of  the  inestimable  value  of  long  years  of 
service,  an  investigation  should  be  made  to  determine  the  number,  if  any,  of 
teachers  who  are  superannuated  and  no  longer  able  to  give  efficient  service. 
The  superintendent  states  that  in  1914  he  had  this  situation  well  in  hand  by 
reason  of  it  being  made  possible  to  retire  such  teachers. 

TEACHERS'  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  BETTERMENT  OF  THE 
SCHOOLS  SHOULD  BE  RECORDED  AND  GIVEN  CONSIDER- 
ATION. 

A  questionaire  on  books  and  supplies  sent  by  the  superintendent  of 
schools  to  teachers  invited  suggestions  on  any  matter  pertaining  to  the 
schools.  Questions  were  asked  as  to  the  books  needed,  preferred,  disliked 
and  not  used.  Aside  from  twenty  requests  to  have  one  session  in  stormy 
weather,  only  three  teachers  out  of  three  hundred  had  any  suggestion  to 
offer  about  actual  teaching  or  class  management.  In  a  system  having  no 
school  principals  it  is  essential  that  teachers  be  on  the  alert  to  see  needs, 
and  to  exercise  initiative  in  making  sugggestions. 

TEACHERS'   ERRORS  IN   ENGLISH   SUGGEST  NEED   OF 
SUPERVISION 

These  expressions  were  noted  in  a  cursory  reading  of  the  teachers' 
suggestions    referred   to   above: 

"I  ask  for  the  additional  copies  of  the  above  so  that  there  are  at  least 
one  copy  for  every  two  pupils." 

"I  only  have  eight  copies  of  Nature  Myths." 

" and   therefore,   if   allowed   to   do   so,   should   like   the    Carolyn 

Brook  as   Reader  instead  next  year." 

This  suggests  the  possibility  that  additional  supervision  might  safe-guard 
teachers  against  the  use  of  faulty  English,  and  that  periodical  examinations 
might  not  be  out  of  place. 

TEACHERS'   CLASS  REGISTER  SHOULD  BE  REVISED 

The  present  class  register,  as  prescribed  by  the  state,  should  be  sup- 
planted by  a  new  form  designated  to  overcome  the  following  present  defects: 

Pages  are  so  arranged  that  the  teacher  is  obliged  to  re-write  the  names 
of  all  pupils  every  30  days 

No  provision  is  made  for: 
Pupils'  Addresses 


352 BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

Parents'  names 

School  or  town  from  which  new  pupils  enter 

Special  comment  or  remarks 
The  book  is  too  large  in  number  of  pages  as  well  as  in  size 
The  superintendent  states  that,  in  the  schools,  he  inspects  the  registers 
with  one  of  the  supervisors  once  each  year.  The  registers  should  be  called 
in  to  the  central  offices  midway  in  the  term  and  should  be  examined  in  detail 
by  clerks  for  errors,  omissions  and  other  defects,  and  the  results  of  this 
analysis  should  be  presented  to  the  superintendent.  It  is  this  type  of 
inspection  which  is  not  done  and  which  is  well-nigh  impossible,  it  is  true, 
in  Reading's  offices  as  now  organized. 

OPPORTUNITY  FOR  USE  OF  MECHANICAL  DEVICES  TO   SAVE 
CLERICAL  LABOR. 

The  present  form  of  class  register  is  prescribed  by  the  state,  but  the 
fact  that  an  unwieldy  book  has  been  prescribed  does  not  necessarily  mean 
that  the  state  authorities  would  not  consent  to  the  use  of  a  more  convenient 
and  practical  form  of  book,  provided  no  attendance  facts  were  omitted.  The 
superintendent  has  obtained  permission  from  the  state  education  department 
to  simplify  this  book,  and  by  cutting  a  portion  of  the  leaves  to  dispense  with 
the  re-writing  of  the  children's  names  every  month.  The  register  should 
be  reduced  to  an  &V2  by  n-inch  size  so  as  to  lit  into  an  ordinary  correspond- 
ence file.  A  much  more  definite  record  of  the  circumstances  leading  up  to 
the  withdrawal  of  pupils  from  school  and  of  the  disposal  of  pupils  leaving  a 
given  class  as  well  as  of  the  school's  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  children  needing 
special  attention,  should  be  provided  in  the  revised   register. 

In  the  matter  of  all  recording  and  accounting  work  in  schools  as  well  as 
in  the  administrative  offices,  there  is  a  wide  field  for  the  reduction  of 
clerical  labor  by  means  of  mechanical  devices  such  as: 

a.  Loose  leaf  records 

b.  Cards  which  make  possible  by  different  sorting,  the  assembling  of 
several  sorts  of  information  from  one  original  record 

c.  Addressograph  machine 

d.  Duplicating  machine 

e.  Adding  machine 

f.  Special  forms  of  binders 

g.  Several  blank  forms  combined  into  one  record 

A  particular  type  of  class  register  could  only  be  recommended  after  a 
thorough  revision  of  all  educational  records  and  after  an  agreement  with  the 
state  authorities. 

ATTENDANCE  RECORDS  SHOULD  BE  SIMPLIFIED. 

The  procedure  employed  in  recording  the  enrollment  and  attendance  of 
pupils  is  designed  along  lines  which  should  convey  practically  all  the  informa- 
tion needed  in  school  administration.  In  several  important  details,  however, 
the  present  practice  could  be  greatly  improved.  Printed  directions  from  the 
state  department  instruct  teachers  to  leave  records  blank  if  the  pupil  is 
present  and  to  mark  all  absences  with  a  single  stroke.     A  blank  space  should 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  353 


never  be  considered  as  a  record.  Furthermore,  all  absences  should  not  be 
indicated  by  the  same  kind  of  a  mark,  but  by  symbols  showing  the  causes  of 
legal  absences,  and  distinguishing  between  those  which  are  excusable  and 
inexcusable.  Attendance  figures,  at  the  time  of  the  first  survey,  were  tran- 
scribed monthly  to  blanks  which  were  sent  to  the  Administration  building, 
where  the  data  was  copied  by  a  clerk  into  a  large  and  unwieldly  book.  This 
necessitated  the  re-writing  of  the  names  of  all  teachers  and  school  buildings 
each  month.  The  form  in  use  contained  58  separate  columns  and  the  chief 
clerk  had  added  two.  Of  these  60  columns,  only  four  were  needed  for  the 
data  required  by  the  state  authorities.  The  remaining  items  on  this  sheet 
were  in  themselves  valuable  enough,  since  they  partially  recorded  with- 
drawals from  the  elementary  grades  and  other  statistical  items,  such  as  trans- 
fers received,  cases  of  sickness,  truancy,  suspension,  and  visits  by  supervisors 
and  parents.  This  method  was  changed  in  November,  1914,  to  a  more 
convenient  form.  This  information  could  be  assembled  and  recorded  with 
much  less  labor  by  the  further  use  of  pupils'  permanent  record  cards.  It  is 
questionable  whether  it  is  necessary  to  record  separate  data  for  boys  and 
girls  each  month  in  all  these   statistical   reports. 

PUPILS'  PERMANENT  RECORD  CARDS 

Individual  record  cards  are  kept  for  all  pupils,  showing  the  movements 
of  the  pupil  from  school  to  school.  They  are  kept  in  duplicate  in  the  class- 
room. When  a  pupil  withdraws  permanently,  one  card  is  sent  to  the  central 
office  with  the  date  of  withdrawal  and  cause  indicated  if  the  cause  is  known. 

WITHDRAWALS  FROM  SCHOOL  SHOULD  BE  STUDIED  FOR 
POSSIBLE  PREVENTION. 

According  to  reports  there  were  (1912-13)  in  the  schools  of  Reading, 
13,664  pupils  enrolled,  of  whom  1,514  left  during  the  year  for  the  reasons 
given  below: 

Moved    555 

Parochial     77 

Died    29 

Poor    health 86 

At    home 87 

Indefinite     38 

Work     642 

Thus  it  appears  that  4.6%  leave  to  enter  employment  in  Reading,  as 
compared  with  (917  or)  3.1%  in  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

In  Rochester  there  are  five  trade  schools.  It  is  thus  pertinent  to  ask 
whether  more  provision  could  not  be  made  for  pupils  who  have  lost  interest 
in  the  regular  course.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  Reading  school  records  specify 
"work"  as  a  cause  of  withdrawal.  Entering  employment  is  a  result,  so  far 
as  the  pupil  is  concerned,  not  a  cause  at  all  and  it  should  not  be  so  recorded. 
The  first  step  in  the  campaign  is  to  ascertain  the  actual  underlying  causes 
such  as: 

Poverty 
Parental  coercion 


354  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

Incapacity  for  further  schooling 

Discouragement 

Indifference  to  the  Opportunity  offered  by  the  schools 

Failure    of    the    school    system    to    provide    what    the    pupil    or    his 

parents  think  he  needs 

At  the   time   of  the   survey,   records   did   not   show  the   efforts    made  to 

anticipate,   prevent  and   redeem   losses   of  this   character,   although   a   search 

through   the   schools    would    surely   reveal    much    effort    and    many   ways    of 

combating  elimination  of  which  the  public  knows  nothing. 

It  should  be  noted  that,  as  a  matter  of  statistics,  it  is  misleading  and 
inaccurate  to  combine  in  the  same  list  losses  due  to  removals  from  the 
city,  for  which  the  school  is  not  responsible;  poor  health,  for  which  the, 
school  may  be  partly  responsible;  and  entering  employment,  for  which  the 
school  may  be  wholly  responsible  if  the  pupil  leaves  merely  because  the 
school  does  not  offer  him  what  he  needs. 

VOCATIONAL  COUNCIL 

In  the  Spring  of  1914,  a  beginning  in  this  direction  was  made  in  the 
establishment  of  a  Vocational  Council.  This  is  a  '  most  excellent  move 
which  should  receive  all  possible  encouragement  and  support,  both  moral 
and  financial.  From  the  superintendent's  description  of  this  council  and  its 
program  of  work,  it  would  appear  to  be  proceeding  along  right  lines.  There 
is  still  need  for  more  thoroughgoing  records  of  causes  that  lead  up  to  the 
pupil's  decision  to"  leave  school,  and  for  expert  vocational  advice  to  pupils 
and  teachers;  there  is  much  room  for  improving  the  course  of  study  to 
include  in  the  regular  academic  work  more  information  about  the  sort  of 
careers  which  are  opened  by  various  occupations;  there  is  room  for  extending 
this  work  through  the  entire  elementary  and  high  school  course.  The  pos- 
sibilities of  this  vocational  council  would  be  greatly  enhanced  if  the  members 
had  at  their  disposal  the  sort  of  information  about  pupils  and  schools  which 
the  most  up-to-date  records  would  give  and  which  Reading  at  the  present 
time  does  not  have  for  its  own  use. 

READING  HAS  A  SPECIAL  VOCATIONAL  EDUCATION  PROBLEM. 

To  counteract  the  tendency  to  leave  school  as  well  as  to  attempt  to 
prepare  children  for  the  responsibilities  of  life,  many  cities  have  established 
courses  designed  to  fit  pupils  for  actual  trade  work. 

A  cursory  reading  of  the  course  of  study  brings  out  the  fact  that  Reading 
schools  do  not  anticipate  the  needs  of  its  youth  by  providing  instruction 
specially  designated  to  help  boys  -and  girls  in  the  particular  industries  which 
many  of  them  will  enter.  This  does  not  imply  that  Reading  schools  should 
necessarily  teach  knitting  or  foundry  practice,  but  it  does  imply  that  because 
Reading  has  these  special  industries,  the  schools  of  Reading  should  teach 
what  is  designed  to  help  young  people  who  will  some  day  be  engaged  in 
these  trades.  Since  the  original  survey  short  unit-courses  in  a  number  of 
vocational  subjects  have  been  established. 

A  complete  investigation  might  well  be  made  here,  after  the  manner  of 
the  recent  survey  of  the  wood  industry  and  clothing  industry  completed  by 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 355 

the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce.  The  things  which  the  Reading  boy 
and  girl  will  do  in  their  trades  should  be  set  up  on  one  side,  the  things  the 
schools  are  teaching,  on  the  other;  and  then  the  discrepancies  between  the 
two  should  be  bridged  by  the  introduction  of  Reading  features  into  Reading 
schools.  This  cannot  be  done  in  a  day  or  in  a  year,  but  a  beginning  may  be 
made  at  once. 

A  few  questions  to  be  determined  through  such  an  industrial  survey  are 
suggested: 

What  do  the  youths  of  Reading  do  when  they  leave  school 
In  their  various  occupations,  what  information  do  they  need  as  to: 
Sources  of  raw  material  Uses  made  of  finished  product 

Geographical    considerations 
involved 
Properties  of  raw  materials  Trade  and  commercial  history 

How  much  and  what  part  of  this  information  do  they  receive  in  the 

schools 
What  further  knowledge  and  better  preparation  can  be  given  in  the 

regular  grammar  and  high  schools 
How  can  the  regular  elementary  and  high  schools  make  apprentices 
more  valuable  to  their  employers  and  to  themselves 
The  various  industrial  co-operative  school  systems  of  the  country  might 
be  studied  by  the  Reading  school  board,  e.  g.,  the  Cincinnati  part  time  plan, 
the  New  York  evening  trade  school  program,  and  the  vocational  work  done 
in  Fitchburg,  Mass. 

The  progress  of  many  cities  in  vocational  education  has  been  such  in  the 
last  two  or  three  years,  that  no  city  can  properly  lay  claim  to  be  doing  any- 
thing worth}-  of  the  name  of  vocational  training  which  has  not  a  definitely 
organized  system  of  shops,  of  vocationally  applied  academic  instruction  in 
the  regular  schools,  some  actual  trade  courses  in  the  processes  of  industry 
and  a  program  of  part  time  instruction  actually  working  in  which  appren- 
tices in  employment  are  released  by  their  employers  to  receive  some  instruc- 
tion in  the  schools,  or  in  which  schooling  is  brought  into  the  shops.  In 
addition  to  this  the  true  basis  for  vocational  courses  offered  by  a  school 
system  is  not  the  usual  line  of  carpentry  and  metal  work  installed  as  a  stock 
feature  of  the  program,  but  the  agreement  with  employers  to  hire  a  definite 
number  of  young  people  at  the  future  date  which  marks  the  completion  of 
the  course  the  school  intends  to  give.  For  example,  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  no 
vocational  courses  are  offered  unless  the  employers  have  promised  to  engage 
a  certain  number  of  apprentices  and  the  registration  is  strictly  limited  to  the 
number  which  the  employers  have  agreed  to  use. 

Reading's  vocational  council  should  be  developed  into  a  definitely  organ- 
ized department  of  vocational  education  with  its  own  schools,  administrative 
offices  and  faculty. 

OVER  AGE 

The  report  of  the  superintendent  of  schools  includes  tables  showing  the 
ages  of  all  pupils;  the  number  of  pupils  of  each  age,  and  the  ages  of  pupils 
in  each  grade.    These  data  are  obtained  by  sending  mimeographed  blanks  to 


356 BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

each  teacher  to  be  filled  out  and  returned.  A  set  of  such  blanks  was  being 
sent  out  at  the  time  this   study  was  being  made. 

Over  age  should  not  be  regarded  as  synonymous  with  retardation  (as  is 
the  case  in  many  cities  including  Reading),  and  should  not  be  tabulated 
without  reference  to  the  length  of  time  pupils  have  been  in  school,  to  the 
previous  failures  of  pupils  still  in  school  and  to  the  pupils  who  have  left 
school.  Reading  age  figures  should  be  put  upon  a  basis  which  tells  the 
whole  truth. 

In  addition  to  mis-stating  actual  facts,  the  present  method  of  assembling 
age  data  is  cumbrous  in  itself  and  places  an  unnecessary  clerical  burden 
upon  teachers  and  central  office  clerks.  Teachers  should  not  be  required  to 
fill  out  blanks  and  circular  letters  throughout  the  year.  The  entire  statistical 
system  at  the  administration  building  and  in  the  schools  should  be  re-organ- 
ized so  as  to  enable  teachers  to  furnish  all  necessary  information  about  a 
pupil  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  term,  and  to  do  this  without  extra  labor 
in  connection  with  her  regular  enrollment  reporting. 

PROGRESS  OF  PUPILS  THROUGH  THE  GRADES. 

The  progress  of  pupils  through  the  various  grades,  considered  as  a  mat- 
ter of  record,  constitutes  a  striking  example  of  the  failure  to  use  a  vast 
amount  of  information  in  the  possession  of  the  school  authorities  which  has 
been  already  assembled.  Records  are  kept  showing  the  number  of  pupils 
who  are  promoted  and  of  those  who  fail  of  promotion  in  each  term  and  in 
one  school  year. 

Individual  card  records  show  when  each  pupil  entered  a  given  school  or 
class,  and  how  long  that  pupil  remained  in  one  grade  or  in  one  school 
building.  These  two  classes  of  important  information  should  be  related  to 
each  other.  At  the  present  time  the  entire  point  to  such  records  is  lost, 
because  the  significant  relation  between  these  two  sets  of  figures  is  not 
brought  out.  They  should  be  combined  so  as  to  show  not  merely  the  number 
of  pupils  who  fail  or  the  number  of  schools  attended  by  pupils,  but  also  the 
rate  at  which  each  pupil  progresses  from  the  first  to  the  eighth  grade,  and 
subsequently  through  the  high  school.  This  can  be  done  readily  by  the  prep- 
aration of  simple  age-grade  progress  charts,  shown  in  the  accompanying 
chart. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


357 


PROGRESS   THROUGH  SCHOOL 

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On  this  chart  every  child  in  a  given  class  is  located  according  to  the  two 
factors  which  determine  whether  or  not  he  needs  special  attention  or  help: — 
(i)  his  age  and  (2)  the  number  of  terms  he  has  been  in  school. 

Children  normally  enter  and  complete  the  elementary  grades  as  follows: 
Grade  Enter  Finish 

1    A  6  to   6V2  6V2   to   7 

1  B  6V2   to   7  7   to   7V2 

2  A  7   to   7V2  7V2   to   8 

2   B  7V0   to  8  8  to  SV2 

etc. 

1 

The  chart  may  represent  any  grade.  The  pupils  of  normal  age  are 
represented  by  dots  placed  between  the  heavy  vertical  lines;  those  one-half 
year  below  normal  age  are  placed  in  the  first  vertical  column  to  the  LEFT  of 
the  normal:  those  one-half  year,  one  year  and  one  and  one-half  years  over 
age  are  placed  in  the  first,  second  and  third  columns  respectively,  to  the 
RIGHT  of  the  normal. 

In  the  central  horizontal  column  are  plotted  all  pupils  who  have  been  in 
school  the  proper  number  of  terms  to  reach  or  to  complete  a  given  grade. 
Some  pupils  reach  a  given  grade  in  less  than  the  normal  time,  while  others 
require  a  much  longer  time  to  complete  the  same  portion  of  the  course.  In 
the  chart  dots  ABOVE  the  horizontal  normal  indicate  pupils  who  have 
reached  the  grade  in  one-half  or  one  year  less  than  the  normal  time;  dots 
BELOW  the  heavy  horizontal  lines  indicate  pupils  who  have  taken  more 
than  the  usual  time  to  reach  the  grade  charted.  Thus  the  nine  spaces  on 
the  chart  show: 


35»         BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  

i.  Upper  left   corner — Young  and   rapid 

2.  Upper  center — Normal  age,  but  rapid 

3.  Upper  right  corner— Old,  but  rapid 

4.  Left  center — Young,  but  normal  progress 

5.  Center — Normal  as   to  both  age   and  progress 

6.  Right  center — Old,  but  making  normal  progress 

7.  Lower  left  corner — Young,  but  slow 

8.  Lower   center — Normal    age,   but    slow 

9.  Lower  right  corner — Both  over  age  and  slow 

TEACHERS'  DESK  EQUIPMENTS  INADEQUATE. 

In  four  grammar  schools  visited,  the  teachers'  desk  equipment  was  inade- 
quate  in  the  following  respects: 

No  special  place  provided  for  class  register 

No  facilities  for  keeping  pupils'  individual  record  cards;  one  teacher 

had  the  cards  tied  with  string  and  kept  in  a  closet 

Small   card   cabinets   should  be  provided   for  card   records,   and   cabinets 

or  drawers  suited  to  the  size  of  the  various  record  books,  and  blanks  in  use 

should  be  supplied.     This,  however,  does  not  mean  the  purchase  of  expensive 

office   furniture. 

High    school   principals   have   up-to-date   office   equipment. 


CARE  OF  BUILDINGS 

SANITARY  DEFECTS 

The  superintendent  of  buildings  and  two  janitors  interviewed  stated  that 
no  oil  or  sweeping  compound  was  used  except  in  the  two  high  schools  and 
in  the  new  18-room  elementary  school  building.  Dusting  was  done  with  dry- 
cloths.     (In  January,  1915,  oiled  clothes  were  used.) 

Two  schools,  which  were  visited  by  the  investigators  at  the  time  of  the 
original  survey,  were  found  to  have  antiquated  and  unsatisfactory  toilet 
facilities.  The  particular  type  of  flushing  apparatus  in  use  has  been  discon- 
tinued in  modern  plants  and  plumbing  regulations  generally  prohibit  its  use. 
New  and  improved  plumbing  should  be  instaled  in  schools  equipped  with 
antiquated  apparatus. 

Although  toilets  were  found  to  be  scrupulously  clean  and  odorless  they 
were  so  dark  it  was  necessary  for  the  investigators  to  light  matches  to  find 
their  way  about.  (Since  the  survey  modern  toilets  have  replaced  the  old 
ones  in  all  cases.) 

The  superintendent  of  buildings  states  that  separate  cloak  rooms  are  not 
provided  for  boys  and  girls. 

At  the  time  of  the  survey  paper  towels  were' used  only  in  the  Girls' 
High  School.     (They  are  now  used  in  all  schools.) 

Sanitary  drinking  fountains  were  provided  only  in  the  Boys'  High  School. 
(They  have  now  been  installed  in  all  schools.) 

Pupils  throughout  the  city  had  individual  aluminum  drinking  cups.  The 
manner  in  which  these  cups  were  actually  used  should  have  been  investigated 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  359 

thoroughly  and  instructions  given  by  teachers  and  control  exercised  to  prevent 
unsanitary  practice.  (Sanitary  drinking  fountains  making  drinking  cups 
unnecessary  now  installed  in  all  schools.) 

Steam  is  used  for  heating  in  twelve  buildings;  elsewhere  hot  air  is  used. 
Thermostats  are  installed  in  twenty  buildings  to  regulate  the  temper- 
ature. Temperature  noted  in  four  rooms  in  the  same  building  was  60,  70,  71 
and  74  degrees  while  recitations  were  in  progress.  The  air  in  two  rooms 
was  sultry;  in  one  decidedly  pure;  and  in  one  neither  oppressive  nor  notice- 
ably fresh.  These  conditions  existing  in  the  same  building  at  the  same  time, 
indicate  one  or  more  of  the  following  situations,  which  a  thorough  investi- 
gation should  determine: 

Instructions  on  heating  and  ventilating  not  given 

Instructions  not  obeyed 

Teacher  does  not  know  when  air  is  fresh  or  sultry 

Teacher  does  not  pay  attention  to  the  thermometer 
In  a  fifth  room  in  the  same  building  there  was  no  thermometer;  and  the 
teacher  "guessed  it  had  been  broken."     Experiments  looking  to  the  bettering 
of  these  conditions  are  being  conducted. 

Lighting  in  all  classrooms  visited  came  from  the  rear  and  from  one* side; 
in  three  rooms  it  was  noted  that  the  inner  front  corner  of  the  room  was  dark, 
owing  to  the  position  of  the  side  window  toward  the  rear.  One  teacher 
stated  that  the  rear  lights  had  seriously  affected  her  eyes  since  the  beginning 
of  the  school  year.  In  the  normal  class  the  pupils  were  grouped  on  the 
darker  side  of  the  room,  with  plenty  of  vacant  seats  near  the  windows.  The 
superintendent   states  that  this   condition  was  bettered   in   1914. 

SITTINGS 

In  five  rooms  noted,  one  was  equipped  with  seats  all  of  the  same  size;  two 
had  two  different  sizes  and  two  had  four  sizes  of  seats. 


FINANCIAL  RECORDS 

HOW  THE  RECORDS  WERE  EXAMINED. 

The  examination  of  the  financial  and  business  methods  was  based  on  an 
inspection  of  books  and  forms  and  interviews  with  the  secretary,  the 
treasurer,  the  superintendent  of  buildings  and  the  superintendent  of  supplies. 
The  examination  was  made  to  determine  whether  sufficient  information  was 
available  for  the  guidance  of  the  board  of  education  as  to  the  cost  of 
instruction  and  supervision  and  of  the  administration,  operation  and  main- 
tenance of  the  school  system.  No  attempt  was  made  by  the  surveyors  to 
locate  extravagance  or  waste.  The  records,  however,  were  examined  to 
ascertain  whether  they  would  show  waste,  if  any  existed. 

BUDGET  ESTIMATES. 

In  May  of  each  year  budget  estimates  are  prepared  by  four  committees: 
1.  Committee  on  property  and  sanitation 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


2.  Committee    on   teachers   and    instruction 

3.  Committee  on   supplies 

4.  Committee   on  finance 

The  estimates  of  the  first  three  committees  are  examined  and  revised  by 
the  committee  on  finance,  which  recommends  to  the  full  board  the  appropri- 
ation of  the  amounts  as  revised  and  approved.     The  sum  thus  recommended 
is  appropriated  by  a  separate  resolution  "for  the  purpose  set  forth     *     *     * 
and  subject  to  the  future  direction  of  the  board." 

The  minutes  of  the  board  do  not  give  evidence  of  any  discussion  of 
budget  estimates  or  recommendations  but  the  clerk  stated  that  full  discussion 
took  place  in  committee  meetings. 

DETAILED  ESTIMATES. 

1.  The  property  and  sanitation  committee's  estimate  shows  for  each 
building  the  nature  of  the  work  or  repairs  to  be  made,  and  the  amount  desired 
for  each  item.     The  estimate  is  arranged  by  wards,  as  shown  below: 

Second  Ward. 

Thomas  Severn  Building — general  repairs $    50.00 

Ninth  and  Spruce  building — general   repairs 50.00 

Bingaman    and    Orange    building    —   Window, 

south    side $    25.00 

Painting  two  rooms  and  two  halls 150.00 

$  175.00 

The  estimate  concludes  with  the  following  summary: 

Total    specific    repairs $    8,710.00 

Contingent    repairs 1,290.00 

Janitors'    salaries 30,000.00 

Medical  inspection 3o°0-00 

$    43,500.00 

The  repair  estimate  is  shown  in  sufficient  detail.  The  two  lump  sums  for 
janitors'  salaries  and  for  medical  inspection  would  be  more  valuable  to  the 
board  if  they  showed  full  particulars  of  the  persons,  the  period  during  which 
their  services  would  be  required  and  the  compensation  therefore. 

The  quality  and  cost  of  supplies,  if  any,  included  under  medical  inspection 
should  be  separately  stated.  It  is  understood  that  medical  inspection  relates 
to  the  services  rendered  by  doctors  and  nurses  in  the  inspection  and  treat- 
ment of  physical  defects  in  school  children. 

The  including  of  this  appropriation  under  the  heading  of  buildings  and 
sanitation   suggests   the   advisability   of   stricter   classification. 

2.  The  teachers  and  instruction  committee's  estimate  of  over  $247,000 
shows  for  each  general  rank  of  position,  a  lump  sum  "estimate,"  together 
with  certain  "increases  by  committee,"  e.  g. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  36r 


Increases 
Items  Estimates  by  Total 

Committee 
Teachers,  Boys'   High  School.  .$  22,600.00         $      400.00        $     23,000.00 

Supervisors    5,150.00  500.00  5,650.00 

Grade  Teachers   157,002.50  6,630.00  163,632.50 

Additional    teachers,   graded....       2,300.00    ") 

Additional  teachers,  high  school       1,200.00     v  4,500.00 

Physical    Instructor 1,000.00    ) 

Text  books    8,500.95  8,500.95 

A  "key  to  increases"  gives  in  detail  the  names  of  persons  for  whom 
$2,000  is  requested  "by  rule  of  board"  and  $1,440  for  "increases  by  commit- 
tees/' but  committee  increases  alone  amount  to  $8,070. 

Detailed  estimates  should  be  submitted  showing  the  number  of  principals 
and  teachers  in  salary  grade  and  the  rate  of  compensation  they  receive. 
These  estimates  should  show  comparisons  of  existing  conditions  with  requests 
for  appropriations  for  the  ensuing  year,  all  increases  being  clearly  indicated 
by  name  and  title. 

Such  a  statement  would  form  a  basis  for  intelligently  passing  upon  the 
needs  for  additional  appropriations. 

Data  as  to  the  increase  in  the  number  of  pupils,  any  new  responsibilities 
assumed  by  the  educational  authorities  and  additional  opportunities  offered 
by  the  board  to  Reading  children  would  be  valuable  as  supporting  evidence. 

The  estimate  for  the  retirement  fund  should  be  supported  by  statements 
showing  the  present  'condition  of  the  fund  and  its  requirements  for  the 
coming  year. 

The  estimate  (requisition)  for  text  books  shows  the  number,  title,  unit 
price  and  cost  of  books  for  which  an  appropriation  is  requested. 

There  is  no  evidence,  however,  to  show  that  the  purchase  of  such  text 
books  is  necessary. 

As  a  basis  for  an  appropriation,  it  is  essential  that  the  stock  of  books 
on  hand,  the  estimated  number  of  books  required  to  replace  old  copies  or 
additional  copies  for  new  pupils,  etc.,  be  stated.  If  this  information  were 
available  an  appropriation  for  text  books  could  be  made  with  some  degree 
of  certainty  and  consequent  economy. 

3.  The  supplies  committee's  estimate  is  given  in  great  detail,  quantities 
and  unit  prices  being  shown  for  separate  items. 

The  lump  sum  request  of  $10,500  for  manual-training  supplies  is  unwar- 
ranted unless  supported  by  details.  It  should  have  been  divided  into  smaller 
sums  for  specific  purposes.  It  is  understood  that  certain  detailed  information 
is  submitted  to  the  committee  when  the  estimates  are  under  discussion.  Such 
data  should  be  incorporated  in  the  appropriations  in  order  that  expenditures 
may  be  properly  controlled. 

The  request  of  $10,500  for  the  purchase  of  coal  might  be  considerably 
reduced  if  coal  were  purchased  on  the  basis  of  heat  unit  content  (the  "B.  T. 
U."  basis)  rather  than  by  weight. 

The  requests  for  stationery  and  other  supplies  could  be  passed  upon  with 
much  more  accuracy  if  such  items  were  reduced  to  cost-per-pupil  units. 

4.  The   finance    and   accounts   committee's    estimate    contains    an   item   of 


362 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


$41,000  for  sinking  fund  installments  and  interest,  together  with  $14,000  for 
officials'  and  clerks'  salaries  and  $2,500  for  general  expenses.  The  salaries 
and  general  expenses  should  be  given  in  detail  and  related  to  the  past  ex- 
penses and  proposed  work. 

PROPOSED  FORM  OF  ESTIMATE. 

The  entire  school  budget  should  be  rearranged  to  show  expenditures  for 
the  previous  year  and  for  the  first  six  months  of  the  current  year  as  com- 
pared with  amounts  requested  for  the  coming  year.  These  items  should  be 
reduced  to  a  per-pupil  cost  basis  and  related  to  the  number  of  pupils  partici- 
pating in  past,  present  and  proposed  expenditures.  The  board  is  now  unable 
to  point  to  the  specific  reason  or  circumstance  which  makes  a  given  request 
imperative.  There  is  no  reason  to  question  the  .board's  intimate  knowledge 
of  the  necessity  for  any  budget  item,  but  in  the  present  estimate  the  board 
does  not  give  itself  credit  for  having  valid  reasons  for  its  requests. 

PAY  ROLLS. 

The  payroll  is  prepared  by  the  secretary,  who  keeps  a  payroll  book 
containing  the  items  arranged  as  shown  below: 

Name  of  Building   (School) 


<u    o 

11 


o  e 


o£ 


aw 


^ 


CO 


"Principals"  receive  50  cents  additional  each  month  for  each  teacher  in 
the  building. 

The  data  from  which  the  secretary  makes  up  the  payrolls  are  supplied 
from  the  "principals' "  reports  on  teachers'  absences.  These  are  entered 
in  a  second  book  showing  name;  the  period  of  absence,  divided  as  to  sickness 
or  other  cause;  pension  fund  deduction  and  salary. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  363 

In  addition  to  the  pension  fund  deduction,  teachers  receive  half  pay  for 
days  lost  on  account  of  sickness  up  to  the  twentieth  day's  absence,  after 
which  all  pay  stops.  No  physician's  certificate  is  required  in  confirmation  of 
the  necessity  for  absence.  Absentees  lose  their  entire  salary  for  days  lost 
for  causes  other  than  sickness. 

Voucher  blanks  provide  for  certification  by  the  chairman  of  the  finance 
and  accounts  committee,  attest  by  the  secretary  and  approval  by  the  presi- 
dent of  the  board. 

If  mechanical,  labor-saving  devices  were  installed  to  facilitate  this  de- 
tailed work,  a  very  desirable  improvement  would  be  effected. 

SALARY  ACCRUALS. 

Only  general  memoranda  are  made  of  salary  accruals  when  the  budget 
is  being  prepared,  and  these  are  not  preserved  after  the  accrual  item  has 
once  been  estimated.  Because  of  the  lack  of  a  definite  system  of  accounting 
for  accruals,  the  board  is  not  in  a  position  to  know  how  much  money  re- 
mains unexpended  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  absent  teachers  are  replaced 
by  substitutes. 

It  is  suggested  that  in  the  future,  the  form  of  estimates  and  budget  for 
the  school  district  be  arranged  on  lines  similar  to  those  suggested  for  city 
departments.  This  matter  is  referred  to  at  length  in  the  report  on  the  city 
department  of  finance. 

NEED  FOR  IMPROVED  CLASSIFICATION  OF  EXPENDITURES. 

For  the  guidance  of  the  board  it  is  necessary  that  complete  expenditure 
records  be  maintained.  The  present  system  lacks  proper  classification  and 
important  details,  which  lack  detracts  from  its  value  as  an  administrative  aid. 
The  secretary  now  issues  a  detailed  statement  of  expenditures  contain- 
ing the  following  segregation  of  expenses  by  schools  and  administration 
buildings: 

Day  teachers 

Evening  teachers 

Janitors  . 

Evening  janitors 

Fuel 

Gas  lighting 

Electric  lighting 

Electric  power 

Supplies 

Text-books 

Equipment 

Books — Teachers'  library 

Insurance 

Sewer  connections 

Building  extensions 

Repairs 

Labor 

Painting 


364  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


Plumbing 

Printing 

Domestic  science  supplies 

Graduation  exercises 

Social  center 

Telephones 

Interest 
In  this   statement  the   following  items,   constituting  30  per  cent,   of  the 
total  expenditures,  are  given  in  lump  sums,  the  amounts  not  being  appor- 
tioned in  any  way: 

Supervisors 

Teachers  emeritus 

Manual  training 

Normal  school 

City  institute 

Teachers'  institute 

Printing  (general) 

Miscellaneous  supplies 

Kindergarten 

Playgrounds 

Museum 

Dispensary 

Officials'  salaries 

Delinquent  tax  collectors'  fees 

Miscellaneous   expenses 

Enumeration  of  school  children 

State  tax  on  bonds 

Sinking  funds — Bond  issue 

Sinking  funds — Interest 

Temporary  loans 
This  statement,  however,  distinguishes  between  day  and  evening  teach- 
ers, day  and  evening  janitors,  gas  and  electric  lighting  and  other  subdivisions 
appearing  in  the  list.  With  this  beginning  in  the  segregation  of  expenses, 
the  school  board  could  readily  rearrange  its  accounts  so  as  to  furnish  much 
important  information  which  can  now  be  computed  only  by  laborious  analy- 
sis, if  it  all. 

Two  lines  of  improvement  should  be  made  in  recording  expenditures: 

1.  The   items   already   separated   should   be    grouped   to    show   at   a 
glance  the  total  expenditures  for 

a — General  administration 
b — Supervision  of  instruction 
c — Instruction 

d — Operation  of  school  plant 
e — Maintenance  of  school  plant 

f — Capital   acquisition  and  construction  of  properties   and   equip- 
ment 

2.  The   lump   sum   items   should  be   distributed   among  the   schools, 
either  by  direct,  charge  or  by  pro  rata  apportionment. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION.  365 

These  steps  are  very  desirable,  since  existing  accounts  do  not  show 
directly  the  cost  of  any  of  the  six  functions  mentioned  above  or  the  com- 
plete cost  of  running  any  one  school  or  office. 

ESTABLISHED  CLASSIFICATIONS  SHOULD  BE  FOLLOWED. 

The  accounts  already  distinguish  between  supplies  which  are  consumed 
when- used  and  equipment  which  should  last  for  a  number  of  years.  How- 
ever, the  secretary  states  that  the  practice  is  to  charge  all  small  items  to 
the  miscellaneous  account,  irrespective  of  their  nature.  Thus,  the  miscel- 
laneous total  includes  such  items  as  printing,  office  furniture,  garbage  cans, 
shovels,  wash  basins,  ink,  flags,  art  models  and  piano  tuning  representing 
supplies,  repairs,  personal  services  and  permanent  equipment.  Under  the 
regular  heading  "equipment"  are  charged  new  articles  purchased  without 
reference  to  the  important  distinction  that  many  are  used  in  connection  with 
the  restoration  of  school  property  to  its  original  condition  and  so  are 
properly  chargeable  to  repairs  and  replacements. 

RECORDS  SHOULD  BE  CURRENTLY  STUDIED  AND  USED. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  scope  of  the  survey  did  not  include  such  de- 
tailed examination  of  the  books  as  would  disclose  evidence  of  extravagance 
or  waste.  But  it  may  be  said  that  present  records  are  not  sufficient  to 
indicate  excessive  expenditures  on  the  one  hand  or  insufficient  funds  on 
the  other.  One  school  might  waste  and  another  might  be  in  need,  but 
the  present  accounts  would  not  show  it. 

Proper  Financial  records  would  show  discrepancies  and  point  out  the 
schools  where  they  occur.  The  cost  figures  of  every  school  should  be 
brought  currently  to  the  board  for  scrutiny,  investigation  and  subsequent 
action  in  the  interests  of  economy. 

SCHOOL  TAX  ASSESSMENT. 

School  taxes  are  separately  collected  as  provided  by  law.  The  present 
law  allows  a  rate  of  twenty  mills  on  the  dollar,  based  on  property  valuations 
as  assessed  by  the  city  authorities.  The  schools  now  receive  five  mills  on 
the  dollar — one-fourth  of  the  legal  maximum.  The  assessed  value  of  tax- 
able property  in  the  territory  known  as  the  "Reading  School  District"  is 
approximately  fifty-six  million  dollars.  Taxes  are  payable  between  July  1st 
and  September  30th,  after  which  5  per  cent,  is  added.  Taxpayers,  upon  re- 
ceipt of  a  notice,  call  at  the  school  administration  building  and  pay  their 
taxes  to  the  treasurer  of  the  board  of  school  directors.  In  addition  to  the 
tax  on  real  estate,  a  personal  tax  of  one  dollar  is  collected  each  year  from 
all  male  inhabitants  of  twenty-one  years  and  over  within  the  district. 

The  City  of  Altoona,  Pa.,  which  is  a  city  in  the  same  class  as  Reading, 
has  already  consolidated  the  collection  of  school  taxes  with  those  of  the 
city,  thus  centralizing  the  payment  of  taxes  in  the  office  of  the  city  treas- 
urer. Such  a  procedure  would  undoubtedly  be  a  great  convenience  to  the 
citizens  of  Reading.  Incidentally,  the  school  taxes  could  be  included  on 
the  same  bill  with  city  taxes,  and  the  cost  of  clerical  service,  which  now 
runs  into  thousands  of  dollars  a  year,  could  be  reduced  at  least  50  per  cent. 


366  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 


PURCHASING. 

The  secretary  is  the  purchasing  agent  of  the  board;  the  superintendent 
of  buildings  and  the  superintendent  of  schools  are  actively  associated  with 
the  secretary,  the  former  in  regard  to  the  purchase  of  fuel  and  repair  mate- 
rials, the  latter  regarding  class-room  supplies. 

After  bids  have  been  advertised  and  contracts  awarded,  the  bulk  of  the 
supplies  are  purchased  each  year  at  one  time  during  the  summer.  Only  a 
small  quantity  of  supplies  are  purchased  at  any  other  time  during  the  year. 

Orders  are  written  in  triplicate  (i)  to  the  vendor,  (2)  filed  in  secretary's 
office  after  checking  with  bill,  (3)  to  the  person  receiving  the  goods. 

No  price  list  is  kept  of  the  various  articles  and  commodities  purchased. 
The  secretary  states  that  prices  are  considered  correct  if  they  correspond 
in  general  to  what  has  been  paid  previously;  furthermore,  that  he  has  no 
knowledge  of  prices  paid  in  other  cities. 

The  secretary  should  have  for  his  guidance  a  current  price  list  of  all 
commodities  in  card  index  form.  Studied,  followed  and  applied  by  the  sec- 
retary, such  a  record  would  tend  to  insure  economies.  Teachers  should  be 
instructed  as  to  the  cost  of  materials  and  supplies  used  in  the  schools. 

The  form  of  requisitions  made  to  the  secretary  and  on  stores  could  be 
considerably  simplified.  The  present  form  of  requisition  on  stores  contain- 
ing almost  a  complete  list  of  supplies  customarily  required  by  a  teacher, 
must  result  in  the  purchase  and  withdrawal  of  supplies  which  are  not  actu- 
ally needed.  If  the  requisition  form  were  printed  so  as  to  leave  a  blank 
space  for  the  insertion  of  a  description  of  articles  desired,  a  saving  would 
soon  be  apparent. 

It  is  suggested  that  a  system  of  purchasing  similar  to  that  already  in- 
stalled for  the  City  of  Reading  be  adopted  by  the  board  of  school  directors. 

STOREKEEPING. 

A  central  supply  depository  is  maintained  in  charge  of  a  superintendent 
of  supplies.  Requisitions  on  such  stores  are  made  on  a  form  designed  to 
include  all  articles  which  the  schools  require.  No  supporting  data  accompany 
these  requisitions.  The  superintendent  of  supplies  states  that  in  general 
all  requests  are  granted  upon  the  theory  that  teachers  never  ask  for  sup- 
plies unless  they  are  needed. 

Requests  are  checked  off  on  the  requisitions  as  granted,  and  the  quantity 
issued  is  entered  on  a  sheet  giving  a  list  of  articles  and  providing  monthly 
columns  sufficient  for  three  school  years.  This  record  merely  shows  the 
quantity  of  each  item  which  leaves  the  store-house  each  month. 

Entries  as  to  supplies  issued  are  made  in  a  supply  disbursement  book, 
which  shows  the  quantity  of  supplies  sent  to  each  teacher  in  the  city.  The 
teachers  are  arranged  by  grades  and  not  by  school  buildings.  The  only 
receipt  which  shows  the  total  supplies  sent  to  a  teacher  is  a  summary  of 
text-books  distributed  in  the  four  upper  grades. 


BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 367 

STOCK-BOOK. 

Supplies  received  are  entered  in  a  stock-book  in  ledger  form,  indicating 
the  nature  of  the  articles,  e.  g.,  tablets,  crayons,  etc.,  and  the  number  and 
price  thereof.  Disbursements  are  indicated  by  months  and  in  quantity  only, 
no  cost  charges  being  included.  When  cost  statements  are  required  for 
supplies  sent  to  schools,  the  superintendent  is  obliged  to  make  a  special 
analysis. 

As  a  result  of  this  lack  of  system,  the  superintendent  of  supplies  keeps 
two  sets  of  books,  one  showing  disbursements  by  months  and  the  other 
by  teachers,  neither  of  which  gives  the  cost  of  supplies  for  the  schools 
in  which  they  are  consumed.  Thus,  the  purpose  of  the  stores  account  is 
not  realized.  The  delivering  of  supplies  is  made  by  wagons  hired  by  the 
department  during  one  week  each  month.  The  superintendent  states  that 
about  three-fourths  of  all  supplies  consumed  are  handled  through  the  deposit- 
ory and  one-fourth  is  delivered  directly. 

The  present  stores  accounts  merely  serve  to  keep  the  superintendent 
of  supplies  informed  as  to  where  supplies  have  been  delivered,  but  they  do 
not  show  whether  the  consumption  of  supplies  is  excessive.  A  card  record 
showing  the  supplies  used  in  each  school  in  relation  to  the  number  of 
pupils  and  to  the  cost  of  the  supplies  would  do  away  with  the  present 
duplication  of  books,  and  show  cost  data  which  can  now  be  obtained  only 
after  a  separate  analysis  of  the  records.  With  such  a  record  the  cost  of 
supplying  different  teachers  or  different  schools  could  be  compared  and 
immediate  action  be  taken. 


Weiler's  Printing  House  <«|ii8|j?&fi&   440  Court  St.,  Reading,  Pa. 


cM-Jft\x    ■**-.  K.v. 


^•1   *    A* 


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